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RACEALONG

By,

W. H. GOCHER

PUBLISHED BY
W. H. GOCHER, HARTFORD, CONN.,

1930.

Copyright By
W. H. GocHER, 1930

INDEX

Page
Peter Manning's Outing . . 7
Guy Axworthy's Grandam 10
Robert Bonner's Horses . . 17

Charter Oak Park 22

Three Good Buds 29

A Sporting Wager 30

Grand Circuit in 1919 ... 32

Frank Bogash 39

Madden Exit 40

Peter Volo 43

Amateur Racing 50

Class in the Trotter 55

Training Methods 59

Grand Circuit in 1921 ... 63

Fading Families 67

Poughkeepsie Passed .... 71

Thomasville Shack 84

Leading Reinsmen in 1921 86

Turf Trial Balance 91

From Gay to Grave 92

Epsom in Winter 94

Syracuse Ten Thousand . . 97
Mysterious Depositor .... 100
Fashionable Families .... 104

New Speedport 109

Changes Expensive 113

Grand Circuit in 1925 . . .114

Two Bright Ones 119

Hidden Horses 120

Page

Billy Barefoot 123

Striplin the Fairmaker . . 126

Chestnut Peter 128

Larry Jerome 130

Grand Circuit in 1927 ... 137

Trotting Teams 143

Van Ness 144

$25,000 Purse Winners ..150

Burdette Loomis 153

Bay State Circuit in 1927.155
Town Named for a Horse . 160

John Farris 162

Wilkes Brewer 163

Geers over the Border . . 165

Gift Horses ...167

Holdovers 171

Orange County Circuit
in 1927 ..173

Spotlight Drivers .176

Building a Champion .... 180

Sulky Style 184

Bay State Circuit in 1928 . 188

Peter the Great and
Bingen 191

Bishoped Trotters 193

Tipton the Builder 198

Easton ...'. 201

Winning Drivers in 1928.203
Florida Products 208

INDEX — Continued

Page

Why Grant won at Shiloh.211

Sires of Winners in 1928. .212

Chilcoot 215

Climbing the Ladder . . . .217

Under Four Flags 220

Winning Drivers in 1929. .223

Fading Mile Tracks 229

Worth While Winners . . .234

Baldy and Mig 239

Money Makers in 1927 ..242

Periscope 246

Making a Futurity
Family .248

Grand Circuit in 1929 ..252
Racing Values 260

Sires of Winners

in 1929 267

Preparing a Champion . . 271

Page

Trotters in England 274

Making Mr. McElwyn . . .275

Occident Stake 280

Ye Good Old Times 282

Ringers 283

Auction Speed 313

Lost Race Track 316

Chance 318

Miss Woerner 320

Sulky Dusters 321

Palatial Stables .330

Murphy's Gallery 335

Jobbers 339

Four Forty-Niners 355

Philadelphia Tracks 358

Brusie's First Trip 361

Derby Day 372

Five Great Unknowns ..377

ILLUSTRATIONS

W. H. Gocher Frontispiece

J. M. Chase, Alta McDonald and Billy
Andrews at Syracuse in 1908 162

Highland Scott Shoe 252

St. Julien Shoe 272

RACE ALONG

»

PETER MANNING'S OUTING

In 1929 after Peter Manning had been let down
for the winter at the Hanover Shoe Farms, Law-
rence Sheppard and Tom Berry decided to turn him
out in a paddock. From the days when he was a
three-year-old back in 1919 the champion trotter of
the world had never been turned loose except in a
box stall. Romps over green fields were unknown
to the gelding which had thrilled thousands by his
flights of speed, first in races as a four-year-old and
later in his trips against time at one and two miles
over all kinds of tracks and under all sorts of con-
ditions.

A pleasant day was selected for Peter Manning's
outing. When he was led into the paddock and his
halter removed the champion stood for a moment
and made a survey of the surrounding fields in which
brood mares and colts were grazing. This was fol-
lowed by a few snorts and a couple of bounds into
the air like a broncho in a rodeo. He then lashed out
with his hind feet as if he were trying to kick a fly
off the cap of the man who had him in charge.
Fortunately he was on the outside of the gate look-
ing at the antics of his pet. When Peter Manning
landed on all fours every muscle in his body was
tense. He quivered like a horse ready for a supreme
effort.

The boss trotter was at liberty. He did not know
what to do with his freedom. Finally after cropping
a few mouthfuls of grass he started for a trip around

8 RACEALONG

the paddock. Gradually the rate of speed increased
until he was trotting at top speed with his mane
waving and tail floating like a flag behind him.

With the perfect gate that carried him faster than
any other trotter had ever shown in harness the big
gelding whirled around the paddock. As there was
no hand to restrain him or driver to say whoa he
continued until he felt that he had enough of that
sort of thing for one day. Stopping he put his head
over the fence toward a paddock where Guy McKin-
ney was grazing and blew out like a locomotive under
full steam standing at a station. There Peter Man-
ning, stood bare-footed and as free from restraint as
when he followed his dam in W. M. Wright's pas-
ture at Libertyville, 111., in 1916.

This was followed by a few cat jumps like a boy
at play. Finally Peter started off to graze, stopping
from time to time to snap up his head as if he were
looking for a starter to give him the word, and
whinnied to all creation trumpeting the fact that he
was free.

Within an hour Peter Manning discarded this
diversion. After he had eaten all of the grass he
wanted and had a drink from a pail with his name
and record of 1 :56% painted on it the champion trot-
ter stood in a corner of the paddock where he kept
the flies on the wing by switching his tail and stamp-
ing his feet. By that time liberty was an every day
affair.

Later while cruising about the large paddock Peter
Manning found a depression in which there was a
puddle of water from rain that had fallen the pre-

RACEALONG 9

ceding day. After sampling it he pawed the turf
until it was broken and some of the earth mixed with
the water making it look like a delightful spot for
a mud wallow.

Down Peter went for a roll which was accompanied
by a series of grunts showing his satisfaction with
this new feature on his liberty day ticket. Rolling on
one side until it was soaked with the water and
stained by the grass and soil Peter turned over after
a number of attempts and gave the other side
nature's treatment for animal comfort in the open.

When he finally bounded to his feet Peter Man-
ning was a sight. His light bay coat from his shoul-
ders to his tail was wet and marked with grass and
earth stains. One-half of his mane was on the
wrong side of his neck while a little stream of water
trickled from his thoroughly soaked tail. Peter was
happy. He had found protection from the flies
which bite sharply during the autumn days.

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon the
groom came to the paddock gate with a halter in
his hand to lead Peter back to his stall. Peter de-
cided that he would not be taken up. For half an
hour he would either come up to the man or let
him approach but when he made a move to put on
his halter Peter bounded with a snort to the other
side of the paddock. When coaxing and offers of
sugar did not get any result the matter was re-
ported to Lawrence Sheppard. He told the man to
let him remain in the paddock.

No more attention was paid to Peter Manning

10 RACEALONG

until the groom was getting ready to turn in for
the night. Deciding that it was rather rough to
leave Peter out in the cold he took the halter and
walked over to the paddock. As he approached the
gate he saw the champion waiting for him. When he
opened it the big gelding after rubbing his nose
against his shoulder placed his head in position for
the halter and walked to his stall.

As he was released Peter Manning turned around
a few times on the bedding and flopped for a roll in
the straw. This was followed by a shake to get the
loose earth out of his coat and a stretch. After tak-
ing a drink Peter turned towards his feed box in
which there was a portion of broken oats and bran.
While he was eating it the farm lights went out and
as his groom patted him on the neck with a friendly
good night the night watchman passed by with his
flashlight. Peter Manning's outing was over.

GUY AXWORTHY'S GRANDAM

Guy Axworthy is the leading sire of trotters. In
1929 his service fee was $2,000. The speed and rac-
ing qualities of his get placed him at the top. For
several years his get dominated the colt stakes. In
1929 he led in the aged events with Full Worthy,
High Noon, and Gaylworthy, while his son Mr. McEl-
wyn was represented in the two-year-old events by
Main McElwyn. The returns shows that Guy Ax-
worthy has sired four two-minute trotters, one

RACEALONG 11

hundred 2:10 performers, and four hundred with
records of 2:30 or better.

Notwithstanding this flood of speed no steps were
taken to trace the remote crosses in Guy Axworthy's
pedigree and connect his inheritance with the racing
quahties of his get. Peter the Great, the super sire
of his day, had a bogus cross in his pedigree almost
to the end of his career. In the case of Guy Ax-
worthy his maternal line stopped with a doubt as
to the sire of his grandam.

Guy Axworthy was foaled in 1902. He was bred
by John H. Shults and registered as a bay colt by
Axworthy, dam Lillian Wilkes by Guy Wilkes,
grandam Flora said to be by Langford, a son of
Wilhamson's Belmont. If anybody felt disposed to
make further inquiry the records showed that his
dam Lillian Wilkes trotted in 2:17% and that his
grandam was registered as Flora, pacer, -m, foaled
186-, said to be by Langford, son of Williamson's
Belmont. Bred by California, owned by Wil-
liam Corbett, San Mateo Farm, San Mateo, Cal.

Neither the color, age or breeder of Flora appears
in the Register. Without these the name of the
alleged sire should have been dropped. A list of
Flora's foals up to 1884 appears under her name.
One of them, Joe Arthurton, retired with a trotting
record of 2:201/2-

Lillian Wilkes was foaled in 1886. After being
raced in California she was consigned to a New York
sale. John H. Shults purchased her. He bred a num-
ber of foals from her. All of them disappeared

12 RACEALONG

except Guy Thistle, Lilly Stranger, Lilworthy, and
Guy Axworthy.

Guy Thistle made a pacing record of 2:18l^ and
sired Loota 2:081/4. Lilly Stranger trotted in 2:15i4.
She produced the trotters T. S. Bingen 2:18%,
Toshia Cochato 2:19l^, and the pacer Ditt Will
2:141/4.

Lilworthy was a sister of Guy Axworthy. She
produced the champion yearling pacer Frank Perry
2:15, Worthy Cord 2:16l^, and the trotter Lil Cord
2 :26. Guy Axworthy was the last foal Lillian Wilkes
dropped at Shultshurst. He made a four-year-old
race record of 2:08%.

John H. Shults considered Guy Axworthy and
Olcott Axworthy the best horses bred at his farm.
Olcott Axworthy went blind and was sold. Guy
Axworthy remained at Shultshurst until the trotters
were disposed of.

For a time Guy Axworthy had an uncertain career.
Senator Bailey took him to Lexington where he got
Ante Guy 2:031/4. Thd next trip to the auctions put
him in New Jersey where he got Lee Axworthy
l:58l^. From there he went to Poughkeepsie where
he sired Arion Guy 1 :59i/2. The next transfer was
to Walnut Hall Farm, where he sired Mr. McElwyn
l:59l^ and Guy McKinney 1:58%.

In June, 1929, when I was in California, C. A.
Harrison told me that he had talked with Asa V.
Mendenhall in reference to the breeding of Flora,
the grandam of Guy Axworthy. He put me in com-
munication with Mr. Mendenhall, who wrote the

RACEALONG 13

following in reference to Flora and his father who
bred her.

**My father William M. Mendenhall was bom at
Xenia, Ohio, April 22, 1823. His father WilHam
Mendenhall was born in Tennessee in 1794 and served
in the War of 1812, being with Jackson at the Battle
of New Orleans.

"When my father was seven years old his parents
moved to Michigan. In 1845 he went to Chicago,
which was then a village, and started with nine com-
panions for the Pacific Coast. They arrived at Fort
Sutter, which still stands in the center of Sacra-
mento, on Christmas Eve.

"The Spaniards were then in control of California
and were so unfriendly to Americans that none of
them were allowed to travel without a passport.
Finally a proclamation was issued that all Americans
must leave California. My father with others defied
Castro's order. He was also one of the twenty-four
young men who took Fort Sonoma without firing a
gun. In 1846 the Bear flag was raised. Later on
William M. Mendenhall was one of the one hundred
and seventy men who marched to San Diego under
John C. Fremont and wrested the state from Mexico.

"After these troubles were over my father in 1847
married Miss Mary Allen who had the previous year
crossed the plains with her parents. They were the
first American couple to be married south of the Sac-
ramento River. He located in Sant^ Clara County
and began raising stock. In 1853 he sold out and
moved to Contra Costa County, where he established

14 RACEALONG

a stock ranch. In 1868 he moved to Almeda County
and purchased 1200 acres and in 1869 laid out the
town of Livermore. My father died at the age of
eighty-eight years at Oakland, November 20, 1911,
being the last survivor of the party that wrested
Fort Sonoma from Mexico.

"My father started breeding horses in California
in 1849 and continued until the last few years of
his life. For a number of years my uncle, Martin
Mendenhall, was in partnership with him. On Au-
gust 1, 1866, there was foaled on the ranch a filly
by General Taylor out of Dora by Red Bill. She was
named Pet. This filly was injured as a yearling and
bred as a two-year-old to Langford. She produced
Flora. The following year Pet produced a filly named
Puss. She was a sister to Flora.

'In 1868 my father and uncle Martin Mendenhall
leased Langford with an option to purchase him.
They kept him for two seasons and after returning
Langford to his owner purchased Bell Alta. He re-
mained on the ranch until he died. It was through
Governor Stanford and my father's friendship for
him that the option was secured. I have forgotten
how many outside mares were bred to Langford but
I was told by my father that Langford was led be-
hind a breaking cart to Milpitas and that mares from
different points met him there.

"In the latter part of 1875 Flora and her sister
Puss were taken over by William Corbitt from my
uncle's ranch in Livermore, presumably on a share
proposition. After Corbitt had bred them three or

RACEALONG 15

four years my uncle Martin Mendenhall and Corbitt
had a misunderstanding over the deal. In the mix
up Corbitt retained Flora and my uncle took Puss.

"Corbitt never thought much of Flora until after
Lillian Wilkes appeared and he and my uncle were
never friendly after their misunderstanding. In fact
Corbitt thought so little of Flora that he wanted to
give her away. She was balky when driven single.

"A couple of years before Lillian Wilkes was foaled
Corbitt tried to put her in the 2 :30 list. She got sore
from training as Corbitt was a severe man on
horses. She went to pacing and was said to have
2:20 speed. Finally Flora took one of her balky
streaks, reared, fell over backwards, and ran away.
Before being caught she ran the end of a shaft into
her breast from which she never recovered. Corbitt
ordered her shot but after he got over his passion
he decided on account of the speed she had shown to
breed her again. He mated her with Guy Wilkes and
got Lillian Wilkes, the dam of Guy Axworthy. Flora
died a few weeks after Lillian Wilkes was foaled.

"My uncle purchased a mate for Puss when she
was brought back from Corbitt's. She was by Spread
Eagle. They matched perfectly. When he was prac-
tically going out of business he sold Puss and her
mate to Count Valensin."

As stated by Mr. Mendenhall Flora was by Lang-
ford, a son of Williamson's Belmont, her dam being
Pet.

Pet was foaled in 1866. She was by General Tay-
lor, the horse that in 1857 made the thirty mile trot-

16 RACEALONG

ting record to harness at San Francisco, time 1 hour,
47 minutes, 59 seconds.

Pet's dam was Dora by Red Bill, sire of the pacer
Longfellow. He made a record of 2:191/4 at Sacra-
mento, May 10, 1872. He also paced three miles to
wagon at Sacramento, September 7, 1869, in 7:53,
the world's record for that distance, and on Decem-
ber 31, 1869, paced four miles in 10:421/2 at San
Francisco. Dora's dam was a Morgan Messenger
mare.

General Taylor, the sire of Pet, was a gray horse
foaled 1847. He was by the Morse Horse, sire of
Alexander's Norman whose name appears in the
pedigree of Bingen. His dam was the trotting mare
Flora which was taken from Long Island to Lansing-
burg, N. Y., by Morris Van Buskirk and afterwards
sold to Mr. Eyclesheimer of Pittstown, N. Y. Her
breeding was not traced. General Taylor was bred
by Piatt, John and Peter Eyclesheimer. He was
taken to Janesville, Wis., in 1850 by John and Peter
Eyclesheimer and from there to California in 1854.

This horse was raced at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1852
and won in 2:53. He made a record of 2:48 at De-
troit that year. General Taylor was raced in Cali-
fornia from 1855 to 1866 and was in the stud in that
state. None of his get made records but mares by
him produced a number of performers, the fastest
being Wells Fargo 2:18iA, Lee 2:183/^, Nerea
2:231/2 and Lady Blanchard 2:261/4. He also got the
stallions Captain Hanford and Eugene Casserly as
well as the dams of Whippleton and Western, this

RACEALONG 17

pair and Lady Blanchard being out of Lady Living-
stone.

When General Taylor made his thirty mile record
he was started in a $4,000 match against the time
made by Rattler, 1 hour, 52 minutes, 22 seconds.
He beat it 4 minutes, 22 seconds. This record was
made at San Francisco, February 21, 1857. Also on
February 6, 1857, General Taylor defeated New York
over the same course at ten miles to wagon in
29:411/2 for $2,500.

The report of Asa V. Mendenhall makes Guy Ax-
worthy's pedigree read as follows : Bay horse, foaled
1902 by Axworthy, dam Lillian Wilkes by Guy
Wilkes, second dam Flora by Langford, son of Wil-
liamson's Belmont, third dam Pet by General Tay-
lor, son of Morse Horse, fourth dam Dora by Red
Bill, sire of Longfellow 2:19l^ pacing.

ROBERT BONNER'S HORSES

From 1860 to 1899 Robert Bonner was a conspicu-
ous figure in the horse world. Peerless by Seely's
American Star was one of his first selections. At
that time he also owned Lady Palmer and Flatbush
Maid. In 1862 Mr. Bonner drove this pair two miles

in 5:011/2-

After purchasing Dexter he also made a remark-
able exhibition by driving him in 2 :21 to wagon. At
that time the world's record to harness was 2:171/4.

W. H. Vanderbilt sold Maud S. to Robert Bonner
because some one was always challenging him to

18 RACi^ALONG

race her. This reached the Hmit when W. H. Craw-
ford was managing Jay Eye See for J. I. Case.

Something of another kind developed in 1884 when
it became apparent that Jay Eye See had a chance
to reduce the record. Robert Bonner put Maud S. in
training. On August 1, Jay Eye See cut the record
to 2:10 at Providence. The following day Maud S.
trotted in 2:09% at Cleveland. Later in the season
she trotted in 2:09l^ at Lexington and finally
reached her hmit of 2:08% at Cleveland on July 30,
1885.

Mr. Bonner was always very touchy on the subject
of racing or starting his horses for records. In 1889
he showed his resentment by the following letter to
the New York World:

New York, November 11, 1889.

As your reporter called at my residence last eve-
ning to see if there is anything new in the horse
world, it has occurred to me to give you something
over my signature. I have just read in the California
Breeder & Sportsman a not very courteous article in
which the editor says ''who has ever heard of a horse
training after Mr. Bonner purchased him" and then
suggests that a beginning be made at my farm for
information in that line. Perhaps it might interest
the public if I begin at my farm to state that I have
bred or raised a yearling — the only yearling I ever
had in harness — that trotted a quarter in 44 sec-
onds; a two-year-old that trotted at a 2:31 gait; a
three-year-old that trotted at a 2:16 gait; a four-
year-old that trotted at a 2:16 gait; a four-year-old

RACEALONG 19

that trotted a full mile in 2:221/4 and an aged horse
(Majolica) that has a public record of 2:15. Besides
these I have raised a number of horses that have
trotted in the neighborhood of 2:30. But as the
Breeder and Sportsman wants to know about those
that have "trained on" since they came into my pos-
session I will try and gratify him.

In the first place I will give him a shining exam-
ple. When Maud S. came into my possession she was
lame in her off hind leg. She had been lame in it so
long that Bair, her old trainer, said *'No veterinary
can stop that lameness." After she was shod under
my direction I trained her that year to beat her
record. She trotted in 2:091/4. She trained on the
following year not merely to beat the world, but to
beat herself, by trotting in 2:08%. Rarus came into
my possession with a record of 2:131/4- Afterwards
I timed him in 2:111/2.

Edwin Forrest just before I bought him trotted
in 2 : 141/4 in an exhibition at Hartford. Since I owned
him he trotted in 2:11%.

Music when I bought her had a record of 2:221/2.
She trotted for me in 2:18%.

May Bird had a record of 2:21. Since I owned her
she has trotted in 2:181/4.

Keen Jim had a record of 2:19, but after I bought
him I timed him in 2:14l^.

Molsey had a record of 2:21%. She reduced her
time to 2:18l^.

John Taylor had a record of 2:25, and he trotted
for me in 2:19%.

20 RACEALONG

Wellesley Boy with a record of 2:26 reduced it
to 2:1914.

Pocahontas for whom I gave more money than any
other horse ever purchased except Maud S. and Sunol
had a record of 2:36 when I bought her. I have
timed her since in 2:16%.

Startle for whom I paid $20,000 when he was a
three-year-old had a record of 2 :36. He "trained on"
with only my road driving to trot publicly in 2:19%
without having been even one night out of my city
stable. He was the first horse to turn Fleetwood
track in 2:19.

Maud Macey had a record of 2:27% when I bought
her. She was the first horse to trot in 2:17 on the
exercising track on my farrii. She has since trotted
in 2:16%.

Manetta when I bought her had trotted in 2:42
for Mr. Alexander of Kentucky. John Murphy after-
wards drove her in 2:16^4 on my track.

Lucy Cuyler had trotted for Col. West of Ken-
tucky in 2:29 when I bought her. Subsequently she
was timed in 2:151/2 to wagon on my track, half a
mile to a top wagon in 1:05, the fastest time ever
made in that way of going.

I could give many instances of horses training
while in my possession, but I will content myself
with one more.

In 1860 I bought from Mr. Johnson, the Baltimore
banker, the well known mare Peerless. At that time
she trotted a mile in 2:28 to wagon and was being
trained by the great driver, Hiram Woodruff. I took

RACEALONG 21

her home and drove her on the road for about two
years. When I sent her back to Mr. Woodruff to
train. One day he told the well known Wall Street
broker William Parks and myself that he could drive
her to beat the best time that had ever been made
by any horse to wagon. He named the following
Saturday.

On that day Mr. Parks and two other gentlemen
went into the judges' stand and timed Peerless a
mile to wagon in 2:2314, which by the way was the
fastest mile Hiram Woodruff was ever timed in his
life, either in public or private behind a trotting
horse. Robert Bonner.

All of the above trials were over the Bonner farm
three-quarter mile track at Tarrytown, N. Y., except
the performances of Maud S., Peerless, Lucy Cuyler
and Startle.

Pocahontas was by Ethan Allen. David Bonner
told me that she had more speed than Dexter. He
also told his brother and Robert saw that David did
not drive her any more.

Rarus held the record when purchased. He was
not a clever road horse. May Bird was the fastest
trotter got by George Wilkes before he was shipped
to Kentucky. She was raced from 1874 to 1877 and
won twenty-four races, two of which were to wagon
and two to saddle. In the latter she defeated Tanner
Boy in 2:1934.

Keene Jim placed the four-yearrold record at
2:24l^ in 1877. Mr. Bonner purchased him. He also
bought Lady Stout when she trotted in 2:29 in 1874.

22 RACEALONG

She was the first three-year-old to beat 2:30.

Startle was the fastest stallion by Hambletonian.
He had a limited opportunity in the stud. Startle
sired Instant 2:14l^ and Majolica which raced to a
record of 2:15 while owned by Nathan Straus.

Maud Macey was purchased after winning four
races in Kentucky in 1875. She could trot very fast.
Manetta was by Woodford Mambrino. She was nev-
er started in public.

Lucy Cuyler was foaled in 1872. She was by Cuy-
ler and was one of the fastest trotters of her day.
Her half-mile in 1 :05 to wagon was trotted over
Fleetwood Park.

Robert Bonner started the era of high prices for
road horses by paying $35,000 for Dexter, $36,000
for Pocahontas, $33,000 for Rarus, $40,000 for Maud
S., and $41,000 for Sunol. He was also an expert on
shoeing the trotter. He and Dr. Roberge published
a standard work on this subject.

CHARTER OAK PARK

Charter Oak Park was opened in 1874. Burdette
Loomis was one of the leaders who put the course on
the map of the racing world. In 1871 Charles M.
Pond told him that he had a charter to establish a
fair and said that if he could find a plot of ground
for a mile track he would complete the organization.
Loomis selected the site and planned the course. He
also supervised the planting of the trees which give
Charter Oak Park such a beautiful setting.

RACEALONG 23

The first race meeting at Charter Oak Park was
held in 1874. In 1875 the association selected the
same dates as Springfield. Both had light fields as
fast trotters were not very numerous in those days
while pacers had not, as yet, become a part of an
association's race programme.

In 1876 Hartford joined the Grand Circuit. At
that time it was called the Central Trotting Circuit.
This organization was started in 1873 with four
members. They were Cleveland, Buffalo, Utica and
Springfield. It was known as the Quadrilateral Trot-
ting Combination. In 1875 Rochester and Pough-
keepsie were added. Hartford, as has been stated,
was admitted in 1876. The next new member was
Pittsburgh. It joined in 1881. Providence was added
in 1883 and Albany the following year.

The first Grand Circuit meeting at Hartford was
made memorable by the struggle between Smuggler
and Goldsmith Maid in the free for all trot. Smuggler
won the first two heats. In one of them he reduced
the stalHon record to 2:151/4. The third heat was
declared a dead heat between Smuggler and Gold-
smith Maid. Goldsmith Maid then went on and won
the race.

In 1878 Rarus, who had been a winner at the three
preceding Hartford meetings, appeared at Charter
Oak Park and trotted in 2:1314. This was within a
quarter of a second of the world's record which he
made at Buffalo. Another engagement- was made for
Rarus the following year. When the day arrived all
of the followers of the trotters in New England were

24 RACEALONG

at Charter Oak Park. They were disappointed when
it was announced that Rarus would not start as he
had been sold that morning for $33,000.

The Charter Oak Park management met the breach
of contract by expelling the horse and his former
owner. The following day it was learned that Rarus
was purchased for Robert Bonner, who after learning
the printing trade in the office of the Hartford Cour-
ant went to New York where he amassed a fortune
publishing the New York Ledger. When Mr. Bon-
ner's health was impaired by constant work his doc-
tor advised him to purchase a pair of horses.

As Mr. Bonner drove over the New York roads he
saw Commodore Vanderbilt and others brush by with
their fast trotters. This prompted him to change the
steady going members of his stable for trotters and
it was not long before he led the road drivers with
the pair Lady Palmer and Flatbush Maid which in
1862 trotted two miles to wagon in 5:011/2- They
were followed by single hitches, the fastest being
Peerless and the Auburn Horse. In 1867 when Dex-
ter reduced the world's record for trotters to 2:1714
he also became a member of the Bonner stable.

As Robert Bonner could not purchase Goldsmith
Maid from Henry N. Smith he waited until Rarus
reduced her world's record from 2:14 to 2:131/4, only
to have him expelled. Later on the horse was rein-
stated as Mr. Bonner did not race his horses. Rarus
proved a disappointment as a road horse although
he showed faster than his record over the three-quar-
ter mile track at Bonner Farm at Tarrytown, N. Y.

RACEALONG 25

In the interval Charter Oak Park continued on its
way, giving two meetings a year, one in June and
the other in the Grand Circuit, the dates usually be-
ing in August. Finally in 1883 Burdette Loomis de-
cided that Hartford should have something different.
He submitted a plan for a $10,000 purse for 2:20
trotters.

The event was named the Charter Oak Purse. The
first proved one of the greatest contests ever seen at
the old course. John Goldsmith won with Director
from a large field in which Fanny Witherspoon and
Wilson were the leaders. Phallas was also a starter
in the event. He was unplaced. The following year
he reduced Smuggler's stalhon record of 2 : 151/4 made
at Hartford in 1876 to 2:133/4.

The series of contests for the Charter Oak Purse
presents one of the most brilliant chapters in turf
history. Harry Wilkes, the first leader of the Wilkes'
family, won the event in 1884. Joe Davis secured the
honors in 1885.

The following year Oliver K., driven by his owner
George Forbes, led the procession. He was owned in
Cleveland which was also the home of Patron, the
winner in 1887. This horse deserves special mention
as he was the first Kentucky bred three-year-old
trotter to beat 2 :20.

Spofford won in 1888 with John Turner in the
sulky. In 1889 Alcryon defeated Nelson. The next
two renewals went to C. J. Hamlin wrth Prince Re-
gent and Nightingale, both of which were by Mam-
brino King and bred at the Village Farm. Another

26 RACEALONG

Nightingale won in 1892, defeating the Village Farm
trotter Globe. This was the year that the bike sulky
appeared.

In 1893 the Charter Oak Park meeting was trans-
ferred to Fleetwood Park, New York. The $10,000
purse was on the programme as usual. It was won
by Harietta. Ralph Wilkes was the winner in 1894,
after which the park was closed until it was pur-
chased by Jones and Welch.

In the early nineties when T. 0. King was secre-
tary of Charter Oak Park he planned a series of colt
races in the form of futurities. When they matured
they were very valuable, one of the first being won
by Belleflower. When the park was closed these
events were cancelled after the ones planned for 1895
were raced.

Other associations saw the value of these fixtures,
one of the first to exploit them being the Kentucky
Trotting Horse Breeders' Association of Lexington,
Ky. In other words, the innovation made at Hartford
was the first step towards the futurities which are
now recognized as the most important feature in
connection with light harness racing.

In 1898 when Jones and Welch revived the Grand
Circuit meetings at Charter Oak Park they renewed
the $10,000 purse. The first winners under the new
management were John Nolan, Lord Vincent, Eleata,
Anzella, Billy Buck, and Tiverton. The event won by
the last named was a thriller. Sweet Marie was the
favorite. As she could not get through the field in
the first heat went to Doctor Strong. By that time

RACEALONG 27

Andrews had Tiverton ready and won.

In 1905 Oscar Ames won the Charter Oak Purse
with Angiola. This was the race in which Sadie Mac
dropped dead. Strange to relate this was the only
public race she ever lost, one of her first victories
being in a three-year-old trot at Hartford in 1903
when she defeated Ethel's Pride.

When Sadie Mac died she was owned by Miss Kath-
erine L. Wilks. The following year the honors in the
Charter Oak Purse went to another lady, the winner
Nutboy being owned by Miss Lotta Crabtree. The
little bay gelding Wilkes Heart won the Charter Oak
Purse in 1907. This meeting was almost stopped by
rain, the only races that week being decided Satur-
day.

In 1908 the Hartford franchise for the Grand
Circuit passed to the Connecticut Fair. At its inau-
gural meeting Hamburg Belle won the Charter Oak
Purse in the three fastest heats on record up to that
date. Her time was 2:05, 2:06, 2.04%. Locust Jack
finished second. The Harvester was the winner the
following year. He lost a heat to Bob Douglass.

The next winners were General H., the plough
horse R. T. C. Baden, Tenara, Sienna, later a famous
brood mare, Peter Scott, and St. Frisco. The contest
between the last named and Mabel Trask recalled the
race between Goldsmith Maid and Smuggler. In this
race which was trotted in 1916 Mabel Trask won the
first two heats. The third was declared dead after
which St. Frisco won the next three heats and race.

The other winners were Ima Jay, Chilcoot, Marion-

28 RACEALONG

dale, Peter Manning, the world's champion trotter,
Grayworthy, Peter the Brewer, Pearl Benboe, and
Pluto Watts. The Connecticut Fair dropped out of
the Grand Circuit in 1925. In 1929 the Grand Circuit
Club swung into line with a meeting at Charter Oak
Park. It was made memorable by the three-year-old
colt Valomite winning this Charter Oak Purse from
aged horses in 2:03l^.

Hartford never made a bid for world's records. It
was always the aim of the management to supply its
patrons with closely contested races. If any of the
winners had speed enough to lower the records the
showing added to the quality of the entertainment.
Smuggler did that in 1876 when he trotted in 2:15l^
and Little Brown Jug in 1883 when he reduced the
world's record for pacers to 2:11%. Of the other old
time champions Elaine in 1877 reduced the three-
year-old record for trotters to 2:28 and the same
year A. H. Dore cut the four-year-old record to
2:251/2 with Galatea.

In 1878 Elaine started again at Charter Oak Park.
She made a new four-year-old record of 2:24%. At
that time she was owned by Senator Stanford. He
took her to his Palo Alto Farm in California. In 1880
St. Julien made a new world's record over Charter
Oak Park. He trotted in 2:111/4. It does not sound
fast now but it was a wonderful performance at that
time.

When the flood of new records was started after
the appearance of the bike sulky in 1892 Hartford
had its quota of fast miles. In 1898 Star Pointer

RACEALONG 29

paced Charter Oak Park in 2:001/2- That stood as
the track record until 1916 when Directum I. cut it
to 1:58%. In 1900 Cresceus reduced the stallion rec-
ord for trotters to 2:04% at Hartford and in 1910
C. K. Billings drove Uhlan a mile to wagon in 2 :01%.
Almost all of the other champions appeared from
time to time at Charter Oak Park, one of the last
being Peter Manning in 1922 when he placed the
track record for trotters at 1:59%.

THREE GOOD BUDS

Walter Cox tells a clever story illustrating the
unlooked for places that racing material is apt to
come from. Years ago he received a letter from
someone in the south telling him of a clever pacing
gelding that was being trained by a young man in
Kentucky. He was unable to find the town where the
young man lived, on the map, but as the horse looked
good to him on paper he gave Frank Monahan some
money and told him to go and find it and at the
same time to purchase the horse if he was as repre-
sented. In due time Monahan returned with the
horse, which was eventually sold to Frank Whit-
comb of Springfield, Mass., and made a record of
2:07l^ under the name of B. M. over the half-mile
track at Brockton, Mass. Also while Monahan was
at the Kentucky town he learned that the same
young man had two more pacers but, as they were
not on his order slip, he passed them by. They were
Verlie Patchen 2:021/2 and Lillian T. 2:023^.

30 RACEALONG

A SPORTING WAGER

Almost everybody has seen a sporting wager. The
most unusual that crossed my line of vision was a
game of billiards for two stallions, one of which cost
$28,000 at public auction. This occurred in the lat-
ter part of the eighties when I was connected with
a newspaper in New York.

At that time I had a regular assignment to go to
Parkville Farm Saturday to pick up a few items of
news in connection with the horses which John H.
Shults had on his farm located in that suburb. In
those days a trip from New York to Parkville was
a very fair journey. After crossing Brooklyn Bridge
in a cable car it was necessary to take a surface car
to Greenwood Cemetery and from that point travel
on the Coney Island railroad which stopped at Park-
ville and a few other points.

On the day the sporting wager was made I found
W. H. Wilson of Cynthiana, Kentucky, at Parkville
Farm. At that time he was one of the leading breed-
ers, his establishment being Abdallah Park. Its pro-
prietor was also usually referred to as Cynthiana
Wilson to distinguish him from another branch of the
Wilson family located at Rushville, Ind., where its
members made horse history with the get of Blue
Bull.

Kentucky owed W. H. Wilson a debt of gratitude
so far as the horse interests were concerned as he
took George Wilkes to that state while he also led
the way towards organizing the Kentucky Trotting

RACEALONG 31

Horse Breeders' Association, which is still doing
business at Lexington.

When W. H. Wilson started Abdallah Park he put
Indianapolis, Pacing Abdallah and Smuggler in the
stud. When they failed he purchased Simmons, a
brother to Rosa Wilkes, from some one in Pennsyl-
vania and went to California where he secured Sul-
tan. At that time Sultan was a leader among the
sires of colt trotters but he met with but very little
success in Kentucky. At the start Simmons was
handicapped on account of being bhnd but he finally
became a leader among the sires of race horses.

Wilson's trip to Parkville Farm was to interest Mr.
Shults in a few trotters which he had for sale. He
did not make any progress but when the pair began
talking about their stallions John H. Shults proposed
that he and Wilson play a fifty point game of bil-
liards to see who would own both Simmons and
Pancoast.

Wilson, who in his younger days flirted with
chance in many a game on the Mississippi River
steamboats, accepted the proposition and in a few
minutes he and Mr. Shults had their coats off in the
billiard room and were busy chalking their cues for
a game that carried such a peculiar wager. I was
selected to keep count and the game started.

As both players were out of practice there was
very little counting for some time. As they pro-
gressed their game improved until finally they were
tied at forty. From that point they moved up to
forty-five when Wilson made a run of four and

32 RACEALONG

missed an easy shot which if he had made it would
have taken Pancoast to Abdallah Park. Drops of
sweat popped out on his forehead as Mr. Shults ran
out the game.

Nothing was said as the three of us walked out
of the billiard room to the farm office. Wilson moved
over toward the window that looked out on the track.
After a time he turned and said, ''Mr. Shults, will I
ship Simmons to Parkville or will you allow him to
remain for the balance of this season in Kentucky
where there are a number of mares booked to him T*

As he spoke Mr. Shults was lighting a cigar. Turn-
ing toward him he said: "Wilson, let Simmons re-
main in Kentucky. Keep your horse, I do not want
him." His comment was as much a surprise to W. H.
Wilson as the loss of the game. Finally he started
for New York. Later on Pancoast was paralyzed by
a stroke of lightning and sold. As the years rolled
by a daughter of Simmons was brought to Parkville
Farm and bred to Axworthy. She produced the mare
Hamburg Belle which placed the race record of the
world at 2:0114 where it remained until Tilly Brooke
won at Toledo in 1:59.

GRAND CIRCUIT OF 1919

The forty-sixth renewal of the Grand Circuit
series closed at Atlanta after a run of fifteen weeks,
during which there were thirteen meetings at which
270 races were contested. Of that number, 166 were
for trotters and 104 for pacers.

RACEALONG 33

For these events the premiums for trotters
amounted to $330,064.49 and for pacers to $156,-
378.10, making a grand total for the year of $486,-
442.59. Rainy days kept this amount from running
over half a million. During the first five meetings,
the weather was favorable for racing but after the
horses arrived at Philadelphia someone upset the
rain barrel and it never got back into position dur-
ing the balance of the season. Two days were
checked off the list at Belmont Park as well as at
Poughkeepsie and Hartford, Boston lost almost three
and Syracuse almost two, nine races being declared
off at that point. The Columbus September meeting
was also hampered by the weather but managed to
give its programme, while a colt race was all that
was skipped at Lexington. At Atlanta the curtain
fell on the series in the rain with the loss of a day's
programme.

The series of 1919 run the number of meetings
given by members of the Grand Circuit in forty-
six years up to 402 at which the premiums amounted
to $12,805,303.92.

While the average rate of speed was faster than
in the past, there were few sensational perform-
ances except among the aged, some might call them
old, horses. Single G.'s heat in 1:59% at Toledo
was the only one below two minutes, while Lu
Princeton led the trotters with a time record of 2:01
and a mile in 2:02 in a dash race. These are a trifle
shy of the returns in 1918 when Single G. and Miss
Harris M. placed the three heat race record for

34 RACEALONG

pacers below the two minute line, while both Mabel
Trask and St. Frisco won heats in 2:01%. The
injury sustained by Ante Guy in her second race, no
doubt, kept the trotters from making a new mark
but the pacers could not step up to the new stand-
ard.

Of the old trotters. Heir Reaper, Early Dreams,
Royal Mac and Mignola were the leaders, llie first
named, a twelve-year-old, won in 2:04% at Kala-
mazoo. Royal Mac, eleven-year-old, made his third
trip through the circuit and won in 2:041/4 at
Toledo and Lexington where Early Dreams made a
new record for horses of that age when he showed
in front in 2:03i/i. This was equalled by Prince
Loree in the Transylvania. Mignola, a ten-year-old,
marched like a conquering hero from the opening
meeting of the Grand Circuit until he pulled up
lame at Hartford where he was defeated in the
Charter Oak Purse by Mariondale. He was started
in ten races of which he won nine and made a record
of 2:041/4. No one ever saw a better trotter than
the handsome son of Allerton.

McGregor the Great was the leading money win-
ner of 1919. He won twelve of his fourteen races.
Mariondale defeated him at the first Cleveland
meeting and in the Massachusetts Purse at Boston
but he more than offset those slips by his brilliant
race at Syracuse where he won in 2:031/4 and fol-
lowed it by a sweep from that point to Atlanta.

Direct C. Burnett led the pacers in the dollar
column. He won eleven of his fifteen races. After

RACEALONG 35

his first start at Cleveland where he was drawn,
he looked to be unbeatable until Grace Direct caught
him on his second appearance at Lexington. This
was followed by two more losing performances at
Atlanta where Frank Dewey after a run in the
field for eleven weeks flashed in front in 2:011/2
while in his second race he lost to Sanardo, his
stable companion.

Mignola and Sanardo each won nine races in 1919.
The former started in ten events while the San
Francisco pacer took the word in fourteen. His
fastest performance was at Lexington where he
defeated Adioo Guy in 2:0014 after the latter had
won a heat in 2:00%.

Royal Mac made the most remarkable campaign
ever placed to the credit of a horse of his age. Dur-
ing the fifteen weeks, he was started in fourteen
races of which he won eight, finished second in four,
fourth in one, and was unplaced in one.

The Laurel Hall filly Natalie the Great made one
of the most prolonged and successful campaigns
credited to a two-year-old trotter. She took the
word in ten races of which she won seven and fin-
ished second in three. None of her rivals could
catch her until she reached Philadelphia where Mr.
Dudley won. At Boston she won in 2:10 while
Dudette defeated her at Hartford and Daystar at
Lexington, where Mr. Dudley dropped dead after
winning a heat in 2:09%.

Grace Direct, Dr. Nick, Goldie Todd and Holly-
rood Kate each won six races at Grand Circuit

36 RACEALONG

meetings. Grace Direct defeated all of the best class
pacers of the year including Direct C. Burnett,
Sanardo and Frank Dewey, while she was only
beaten a few inches by Directum J. at Lexington.
Prior to the opening of the Grand Circuit, this
mare picked up five races on the half-mile tracks,
in one of which Symbol S. Forrest won a heat from
her in 2:05%. Also after the close of the Phila-
delphia meeting, she was shipped to Springfield,
111., where she defeated Single G. and a number
of other high class performers in 2:001/2-

Murphy did not start Dr. Nick until the circuit
reached Poughkeepsie. He won six of seven starts,
his only skip being at Syracuse, while he also showed
a mile in 2:04% at Lexington after picking up three
first moneys at Columbus.

Goldie Todd and Molly Knight were the stars of
Geers' stable. The General Watts filly won seven
of her engagements while Goldie Todd had six out
of nine starts standing to her credit when she pulled
up lame at the Columbus September meeting. Her
most sensational race was paced at the Columbus
summer meeting when she defeated Frank Dewey
at a time when he was booked for a trip in two
minutes. She also won at Poughkeepsie in 2:021/4.

The time honored Walnut Hall Cup was awarded
Baron Cegantle as the time in the first three heats
of his division of the event averaged faster than
that in which Selka was awarded the honors. This
race with two at Columbus and one each at Pough-
keepsie and Syracuse ran his score for the year up

RACEALONG 37

to five firsts out of ten starts.

Hollyrood Kate and Periscope were stable com-
panions. The former won six of her ten races and
made a record of 2:05i4 at Poughkeepsie. Peri-
scope closed the season with a winrace of 2:041/2-
It equalled the best three-year-old performance in
1918 made by Hollyrood Bob when he defeated
Chestnut Peter in the National Stallion Stake.

Prince Loree, Frank Dewey, Louie Grattan, Roy
Grattan, Esther R. and Directum J. each won four
races at the Circuit meetings. Prince Loree won at
the first Cleveland meeting. He did not show in
front again until he reached Hartford where he
won in the mud in 2:05V2- He also scored twice at
Columbus before he placed his name in the list
of Transylvania winners with a mark of 2:0314..
Unsoundness was all that kept Frank Dewey from
being another Single G. In 1918 he made a profitable
trip over the New England half mile tracks while
in 1919 he set the ball rolling by winning at Cleve-
land, Kalamazoo, and Toledo. His first bump came
at Columbus in August after which he did not show
in front again until Atlanta. Notwithstanding his
doubtful underpinning Frank Dewey led the Circuit
brigade with the number of starts made on the
trip down the line. He took the word in sixteen
races.

Of the other starters which were returned as
triple winners. Single G. showed in' front at the
first three meetings but did not appear again after
he was defeated at Columbus. Fenesta won three

38 RACEALONG

races, two of them being trotted at Toledo before
she showed lame at Philadelphia.

Jack Keith won three races off the reel and
dropped out while the two-year-old colt Daystar kept
trying for six races before he showed in front.
When he did he won at Columbus, Lexington and
Atlanta and made a record of 2:10 in a third heat.

The three-year-old pacing filly Goldie King won
three of her four engagements and reduced her
mark to 2:07%. Her last start was made at Colum-
bus where Lou Todd picked up two races before
going to Atlanta for a third. Her stable mate Louie
Grattan won four, two of them being paced at Lex-
ington where she made a record of 2:0214. Wilkes
Brewer was not so fortunate as she had but three
firsts to show for ten starts, in one of which she
reduced her record to 2:041/2. Jess Y. also won three
out of twelve starts and reduced her mark to 2:071/4-
Baroness Edgewood won three out of six starts and
cut her record to 2:031/4.

Twenty other Grand Circuit starters were double
event winners, the list including Joseph Guy, Nedda,
Little Lee, the two-year-old gelding Mr. Dudley,
Ante Guy, Belle Alcantara, and Don de Lopez with
which Murphy won at Columbus and Lexington in
2:05iA.

The returns for the season showed that Murphy

* won 56 events. Cox 32 and Geers 22. Valentine won

twelve which does not include his sweep through

the Great Western Circuit with Prince Hal, Peter

Coley and other members of his stable. Henry

RACEALONG 39

Thomas won 12 with the Laurel Hall horses, J. L.
Dodge 11 with Periscope and Hollyrood Kate and
McDonald 10. Murphy was credited with $84,265,
Cox with $78,098, and Geers $41,199.

FRANK BOGASH

The death of Frank Bogash at Fort Wayne, Ind.,
in 1918 recalled the trips which he made through
the big circuit with Centlivre Bros.' horses in
the nineties. He swung on to the mile rings with
the handsome black stallion Atlantic King which
he drove to a record of 2:09% at Nashville, Tenn.,
in 1892 in one of the few races that Major Dubois
of Denver, Colo., won with W. W. P., the brown
gelding Barney by Barney Wilkes being between
him and the winner in that event. The same year
Bogash also raced a little bay mare called Mary
Centlivre and gave her a mark of 2:12 in a nine heat
race which Alvin Swift won at the Pittsburgh Grand
Circuit meeting. The pacing stallion Frank Bogash,
was his best pupil. He was by Atlantic King out of
Nellie Gray by Almont Pilot and made a record of
2:03% in the race in which he defeated Anaconda,
Searchlight and Chehalis at Providence, R. I., in
1900. After Centlivre Bros, stopped racing, this
horse drifted from one owner to another until he
landed on a farm near Sherbrooke, Quebec, where
he sired Frank Bogash, Jr., l:59l^. Before that
clever pacer appeared, however, his sire was gelded
and sold. He passed the last of his days like the sire
of Ross B., 2:041/4 pulling a hack.

40 RACEALONG

MADDEN EXIT

A leader of the turf and a breeder of race horses
with a world wide reputation passed from the scenes
of his activities when John E. Madden died in New
York on November 2, 1929. The last time that I met
him was on October 19. At that time he was confined
to his room at the Hotel Pennsylvania with a cold
but expected to return to Kentucky the following
week. A heart attack followed by a relapse closed
his career.

John E. Madden was born at Bethlehem, Pa., in
1856. He started to make his way in the world as a
foot runner and boxer. After a misstep at St.
Catherines, Ontario, where the men who Were behind
him gave a Sheffield handicap winner a yard in a
hundred dash. Madden went over to the horses.
Within fifty years he ran a shoe string into millions
and purchased a blue grass farm of over 2,000 acres.

Madden appeared on the trotting turf in the early
eighties with Class Leader. He failed to make an
impression. Plodding along he soon made his presence
felt and in a short time controlled a stable of trotters.
When he located in Kentucky a few resented his
intrusion, but they were forced to recognize his
ability as a dealer.

Early in life John E. Madden decided to never
sell a good horse to a poor man. That axiom brought
him thousands. The success of the horses sold by
him also put the mintmark of merit on his establish-
ment, while victory followed in his wake not only

RACEALONG 41

among the trotters but also in the thoroughbred
world.

In Abbie V., Madden had a trotter that was only
a few seconds shy of a champion and Wyandotte,
by Artimus, died on the verge of a triumph. He
owned an interest in Robert McGregor when he sired
Cresceus. He also selected the Kentucky Futurity
winner Siliko as a yearling and bred Periscope and
Guesswork.

The trotter always had a warm place in John E.
Madden's heart. This was shown by the careful
development given Hamburg Belle, Soprano, and
Tenara.

With the thoroughbreds Madden was very suc-
cessful. In that field he added production to develop-
ment, Star Shoot being one of his greatest stallions.
Year after year a group of winners were sent from
Hamburg Place to the metropolitan tracks.

To name the list of race horses that John E.
Madden bred or owned would look like reproducing
a handful of pages from tlie racing guide. In his
estimation Hamburg was the best. He was followed
by Yankee, King James, Sir Martin, who came very
near winning the English Derby, Salvidere, The
Finn, Old Rosebud, Gray Lag, Sir Barton, and Zev.
John E. Madden bred six Kentucky Futurity winners.
They were Flying Ebony, 1925; Zev, 1923; Paul
Jones, 1920; Sir Barton, 1919; Old Rosebud, 1914,
and Plaudit, 1898. From 1917 to 192S Madden-bred
horses won 3,811 races.

Madden's method of breeding, feeding, care and

42 RACEALONG

training were the keys to his success. No one ever
heard if his failures, while there never was a year
that the acid test of the race track failed to award
him his share of winners.

His success made him an authority on race horses.
On account of this his remark that the sire is more
than three-fourths of the stud had weight. He said :
"Mares are necessary but at the best they can give
you but one failure or winner each year. A stallion
will get from fifty to seventy-five. If he is a blank,
and many are, two or three years will put a large
operator on the rocks."

In our last conversation at the Pennsylvania Hotel
in New York on October 19, John E. Madden referred
to Axtell and said: "In 1889, the day that Axtell
made his record of 2:12 at Terre Haute, Ind., A. J.
Welch and I offered C. W. Williams $101,000 for the
colt when we came in from the race track. He de-
cHned the offer. .Later that night Williams sold
Axtell to Fred Moran, W. P. I jams and John W.
Conley for $105,000. It proved a splendid invest-
ment."

Another day while at Greens Farms, Conn., where
E. T. Bedford trains his trotters, it being the after-
noon on which that well known amateur gave Diplo-
mat a record of 2:05l^ to a cart, John E. Madden,
after showing the group in the judges' stand a
watch that W. C. Whitney presented to him, told
how Harry Payne Whitney and Herman B. Duryea
took up racing.

At that time W. C. Whitney was racing a large

RACEALONG 43

stable. One morning the two young men were at
the track watching the horses and in order to get
them interested he offered them a half interest in
Irish Pat for $15,000. They said that they would
think of it and went off to Newport.

Madden told W. C. Whitney what he had done. A
few days later he asked him if the boys had ac-
cepted his offer. When told that they were still
thinking, W. C. Whitney said "Wire them that the
half interest in Irish Pat has gone up to $18,000 as
neither of them will buy except in a rising market."
Madden did and Harry Payne Whitney and Herman
Duryea accepted the offer. Later on Madden re-
marked "I received $35,000 for my half of Irish
Pat's winnings and they purchased the balance of the
colt."

In 1929 Harry Payne Whitney was the leading
winner on the American turf and the master of
Hamburg Place who started him on his trip to the
top passed to his rest.

PETER VOLO

A great race horse that breeds true cannot fail
in the stud. This is proved by Peter Volo. He was the
one, two, three and four-year-old champion of his
day. He also won all of his futurity engagements and
retired sound with a race record of 2:02. To this can
be added the fact that his perfectly balanced in-
heritance warranted the turf honors that were placed
to his credit.

44 RACEALONG

In breeding nothing is done by chance. Great
horses are not made to order. They come at intervals.
Nature is largely responsible for these marvels but
they are doled out with a sparing hand. This makes
breeding an uncertainity even with those who believe
that the family is greater than the individual.

The careers and breeding of the stallions which
became fixtures in the history of the trotting turf
shows that no one could foretell which horses would
become the leaders in getting speed. Hambletonian
carried more lines to imported Messenger than any
of his contemporaries. He was a success from the
start. Alexander's Abdallah, one of his greatest sons,
was got when he was a two-year-old.

Nature in a perverse mood made Messenger Duroc,
a son of Hambletonian that carried more lines to
Messenger than any of his get, a failure. Others
from mares whose breeding was unknown or with
but one or two crosses of racing blood became the
leading stallions of their day.

The breeding of the dams of Alexander's Abdallah
and George Wilkes was never established. Green
Mountain Maid, the dam of Electioneer, was by
Henry Clay out of Shanghai Mary whose breeding
was unknown although there is a chance that she
was by Iron's Cadmus. Happy Medium, the fourth
member of the Hambletonian big four, was out of
Princess. She had a record of 2:30 and carried a line
to Messenger.

The success of these horses when compared with
others that had three or four crosses of recognized

RACEALONG 45

trotting blood in the pedigrees of their dams
prompted many breeders to jump at the conclusion
that stallions with badly balanced pedigrees made
the best sires.

This was continued for two or three generations
in some families. Pilot Medium was the best son of
Happy Medium. He was out of Tackey, a developed
daughter of Pilot Jr. Her dam Jenny Lind had
nothing to recommend her other than that she was
a speed producer. She was reported as being by a
horse called Bellfounder but as no one knew who bred
her or could locate the Bellfounder referred to the
breeding is very doubtful. Pilot Medium sired Peter
the Great. His dam Santos had but one cross of
trotting blood through Grand Sentinel. Back of that
was Madison's Octoroon. The breeding of his sire
was unknown. The next remove introduced Creole.
He was a son of a pacer named Aikenhead, breeding
unknown, out of the thoroughbred mare Lady Bess
by Lexington. Peter the Great proved the leading
sire of racing speed of all time. Peter Volo proved
his best son.

In the Wilkes family the dominating line was con-
tinued through William L. and Axtell. He in turn
got Axworthy, the sire of Guy Axworthy, the lead-
ing extreme speed sire, four of his sons having
records below two minutes. Until recently it was
beheved that Guy Axworthy, like Peter the Great,
had but one cross of trotting blood on the side of
his dam, Lillian Wilkes. She was got by Guy Wilkes
out of a mare by Langford, a son of the thorough-

46 RACEALONG

bred horse Williamson's Belmont. In 1929, however,
it was established that Flora the dam of Lillian
Wilkes was by Langford out of Pet by General
Taylor son of the Morse Horse while her next dam
Dora was by Red Bill.

Short-bred dams prevailed in all of the other
families.' Mambrino King was the leader in the
Mambrino family. His dam had a scant trotting in-
heritance. Elyria, his most successful son, comes
under the same head. While the Clays were recog-
nized as a breed its leaders had badly balanced
pedigrees. The same story goes with the Blue Bull,
Champion and Morgan families, the only exception
among the last named being Daniel Lambert.

The only way that this can be accounted for is
by passing the palm of victory to the dominant males
of the families to which they belonged.

As breeding progressed and the trotting lines mul-
tiplied it became apparent that in time leaders would
appear with a maternal inheritance as stout as the
male lines. One of the first of this flock was foaled
in 1911 and became conspicuous when he reduced
the yearling record to 2:19. The name of the young-
ster was Peter Volo. From that time he was in the
public eye. While for a time his rating waned he
came back and became a leader.

Peter Volo reduced the yearling record to 2:19,
the two-year-old record to 2:04V2» the three-year-old
record to 2:031/2, and the four-year-old record to
2:02. All of these records except the yearling were
made in races.

RACEALONG 47

When placed in the stud at Patchen Wilkes Farm
in 1916 Peter Volo was for a time overshadowed by
his sire. Later on when Peter the Great was sold
the popularity of the establishment dwindled. A few
of Peter Volo's get appeared in races, Voltage being
one of the first, but none of them showed the calibre
of their sire.

When the stock at Patchen Wilkes Farm was sold,
Peter Volo passed to Walnut Hall Farm. His oppor-
tunities there were better but fame passed him by
until 1925 when Peter Maltby won all of his two-
year-old engagements and Hollyrood Susan landed
the May Day Stake.

In 1926 the flood started. Tippie Volo kept it
going all season on the eastern half-mile tracks
where she won thirteen races off the reel. Holly-
rood Susan also showed that she was the fastest
three-year-old in training until lameness called a
halt.

From that time winners by Peter Volo were seen
everywhere. In 1927 sixty-two of his get won one
hundred and seventy-six races. In 1928 sixty-six
trotters and pacers by him won over two hundred
races. The leader on the mile tracks was Hollyrood
Colin. He won twelve out of thirteen starts and
raced to a record of 2:03. On the half-mile tracks
Plucky reduced the three-year-old record for colts
to 2:07% when he won the Trotter & Pacer Stake
at Reading, Pa. A few weeks later Azure Volo, an-
other member of the family, cut this mark to 2:07
when he won at Brockton, Mass.

48 RACEALONG

The records carried by the get of Peter Volo show
the company they raced in. Hollyrood Volo paced
in 2:001/4. Ace High made a three-year-old record
of 2:0314 after winning all of his engagements that
season. The other members of the family in the
2:05 list up to the close of 1927 included Walter
SterHng 2:031/4, Hollyrood Susan 2:031/4, Voltage
2:041/4, Sigrid Volo 2:04, Brooke Volo 2:04, Dr. Volo
2:041/2, Sunflash 2:04i4, Hollyrood Hunter 2:043^,
and Volo Rico 2:05.

Another torrent of racing speed appeared in 1928.
Peter Volo was the sire of five of the twenty trot-
ters that entered the 2:05 list. They were Hollyrood
CoHn 2:03, Hollyrood Sheila 2:03i4, the three-
year-old filly Etta Volo 2:041/4 which defeated Spen-
cer in the Horseman Stake at Indianapolis, Cheerful
Volo 2:05 and Volo Peter 2:05, while his son
Dillon Volo got Volstead 2:04l^.

Four of the thirty-seven three-year-olds that
dropped into the 2:10 list in 1928 were by Peter
Volo, three of them making their records in races
over half-mile tracks. They were Etta Volo 2:041/2,
Azure Volo 2:07, Plucky 2:071/4, and Georgia Volo
2:081/2.

Peter Volo also had a leader in the two-year-old
field in Volomite. He won the two-year-old division
of the Kentucky Futurity in 2:06.

In 1929 the Peter Volo wave of popularity con-
tinued. Eighty-five of his get won races, the star of
the lot being the two-year-old filly Harvester's
Bertha. After trotting in 2:041/4 at Grand Rapids and

RACEALONG 49

2031/2 ^t Lexington she cut the world's record to
2:02. Volomite made a three-year-old record of
2:03l^. He also won the Charter Oak Purse from
aged horses and finished second in the Hambletonian
Stake to Walter Dear in 2:0214. Peter Volo's other
winners included Cold Cash, a two-year-old pacer,
that won in 2:05i/i from aged horses over a half
mile track, Hollyrood Highboy 2:041/4, Plucky, a
winner in 2:06l^ over a double oval, and Capital
Stock 2:061/2, the winner of the two-year-old divi-
sion of the Fox Stake.

Peter Volo has a balanced pedigree. His sire Peter
the Great proved the greatest sire of racing speed
in any breed. His dam Nervolo Belle also proved
the leading producer of extreme racing speed. No
other mare ever produced three such race horses as
Peter Volo 2:02, The Great Volo 2:0214, and Volga
2:041/2. She was got by Nervolo 2:04l^, a grandson
of Onward, out of Josephine Knight by Betterton.
This gave him two lines to George Wilkes. Mam-
brino Beauty appears at the next remove. She was
got by Mambrino King, a sire of one of the best
brands of race horses ever seen on the Grand Circuit
tracks out of a mare by Allie West. He was a four-
year-old champion by Almont out of a mare by
Mambrino Chief.

Mambrino Chief also appears in Peter Volo's fifth
dam. She was by his son Alcalde out of a daughter
of Shropshire's Tom Hal, the tap root of the family
to which the Hals trace.

With an inheritance on a par with his turf per-

50 RACEALONG

formances, Peter Volo has founded a family of trot-
ters and pacers which carry the stamp of their sire.
His get have stood the acid test of the turf. They
bear the mint mark of victory.

AMATEUR RACING

Amateur racing started in 1870 when the Driv-
ing Club of New York leased Fleetwood Park and
transferred the road racing which was seen for so
many years on Third Avenue, Harlem Lane, and the
Bloomingdale Road, to the mile track under the hill
on the top of which a club house and grand stand
were erected. On this course the members had many
friendly races for a dinner, a basket of wine, or a
piece of plate offered by the club. These races were
not designated as amateur events as at that time
the term had not been thought of when applied to
trotters, but they complied with the conditions which
were later drafted to govern same.

From the start the Driving Club of New York
was an exclusive organization. Only members or
men who were vouched for by members were ad-
mitted to the grounds or club house. The man on
the gate stopped all others unless they had a card
which was the plan adopted to admit the members
of the press.

Sunday morning was the great day at Fleetwood
Park. It is true that Robert Bonner, John D. Rocke-
feller and a few others were not present on that
day but almost all of the other members were on

RACEALONG 51

the porch or steps to see a few horses trained or
talk over the news of the day. Very few of the
members kept their horses at the track except when
they were being prepared for racing. They were used
to drive up from the city and were kept in the home
stable or in the large boarding stables, a number
of which were located near Central Park.

Many members of the Driving Club of New York
raced their horses either in the Grand Circuit after
it was started in 1873 or at meetings held in the
vicinity of New York. Others kept them exclusively
for their own use, Robert Bonner, W. H. Vanderbilt,
Frank Work and John and William Rockefeller being
the leaders in this lot. All of them had a fondness
for teams although Robert Bonner dropped out of the
group after he retired Lady Palmer and Flatbush
Maid which he drove two miles in 5:01V2 in 1862.
After he purchased Dexter he had the king of the
road and he remained with the single hitch until he
retired,

W. H. Vanderbilt had a number of teams but all
of them faded from the picture after he drove Maud
S. and Aldine in 2:15V2 in 1883. This was a fraction
of a second faster than the world's record at that
time.

During that period members of the Driving Club
of New York had a number of remarkable teams.
Frank Work owned Edward and Dick Swiveller when
they placed the world's record at 2-1614. I. Cohn-
feld had a fast pair in Maxey Cobb and Neta
Medium. They trotted to a record of 2:1714 and

52 RACEALONG

defeated Adelaide and Charley Hogan in a race at
Chicago in 1886 in 2:18l^.

About this time Independence and Cleora made
a record of 2:16V2 to a pole cart while Clingstone and
Guy trotted the track at Cleveland in 2:17.

On account of the restrictions Fleetwood Park was
never a popular course. A tall iron fence separated
the club house and broad flight of steps leading
down to the track from the grand stand which was
located on the first turn. This did not bother the
management as the revenue from other sources took
care of the overhead. Public racing at Fleetwood
Park began with match races, one of the first being
between the Hambletonian stallion Startle and
Lothair in 1870. They were then three-year-olds.
Startle distanced Lothair in the first heat in 2:36.
After this race Robert Bonner purchased Startle. He
paid $20,000. Startle was also the first horse to trot
Fleetwood Park in 2:19. Later on Robert Bonner
allowed Maud S. to make a few trips against the
watch for a world's record.

From time to time small meetings were given
at Fleetwood Park, one of the greatest feature events
being in 1883 when Jay Eye See defeated St. Julien
in a special race. This brought out the largest at-
tendance seen on the old course. Finally Grand Circuit
meetings were given there in 1889 and 1890 and in
1893 when there was adverse legislation in Con-
necticut a few of the fixtures at Hartford were
transferred and a combination meeting given at
Fleetwood. The purses amounted to $60,000.

RACEALONG 53

The last amateur feature in which the Driving
Club of New York took a leading part was the Inter-
City Team Races between New York, Philadelphia
and Baltimore. Fred Gerken won the series for New
York.

While Fleetwood Park was fading in 1895 a
number of enthusiasts in Cleveland organized a
Gentlemen's Driving Club that was destined to con-
tinue for over a quarter of a century. There were also
a number of surprises at its early meetings, one of
the most remarkable being presented by 0. G. Kent
who was then almost seventy years of age. One
afternoon he drove to the park with the Young
Jim mare Mayflower hitched to a high wheel
Brewster wagon and stepped her a mile in 2:17. A
lawyer dropped in with a pacer named Tom Shannon
and sent him a trip in 2:15. Others followed until
the climax was reached by the record breaking miles
of Lou Dillon and John A. McKerron.

The rivalry created resulted in clubs being organ-
ized in Pittsburgh, Boston and New York where the
Empire City track had been built. This was followed
by the organization of the League of Amateur Driv-
ing Clubs in which the rivalry became so keen that
a number of gentlemen had stables of horses fvir
amateur racing which contained more horses than
the leading professionals.

For several seasons C. K. G. Billings maintained
a stable at Cleveland. Later he shipped to New York
where E. E. Smathers, James Butler and a number
of others had large stables to call on.

54 RACEALONG

Inter-city matinees followed. At them the leading
feature was the gold cup contest in which the honors
finally went to John A. McKerron. Each of the
clubs in this league sent out a number of fast
trotters. Uhlan made his first starts at the Boston
meetings. Mignola came from Pittsburgh and Lou
Dillon from Cleveland.

The Junior League of Amateur Driving Clubs
followed in the wake of the mile track organization.
It limited its racing to the half-mile tracks and had
members at Goshen, Newark, Mineola, Pittsburgh,
and Boston, the last named going over to the
Metropolitan Course when it was apparent that
Readville was to pass out as a race track. At present
Newark, Boston and Mineola are the leaders in the
east while Pittsburgh continues at Schenley Park.

The courses at Boston and Newark are main-
tained by the cities in which they are located. The
former is a comparatively new plant. The one at
Newark, however, dates back to the early days of
racing. In 1868 when it was known as Waverly Park,
Goldsmith Maid defeated General Butler over it in
2:32%. Later on many race meetings were held
there, a few of the features being team races. In
1888 Harry Mills and Eddy Medium won from two
other teams in 2:27V2> distancing them in the first
heat. The following year Billy Button and Wilh\am
G. defeated Harry Mills and Arbutus in 2:27%.

These performances were recalled by the flight
of speed seen over the same course, now known as
Weequahic Park, on October 19, 1929, when Peter

RACEALONG 55

Etawah and Brook Volo paced to a pole cart in 2:08,
making a new world's record.

Another world's record was also made the same
day when the El Canto gelding Sheriff Stout trotted
two miles under saddle in 4:461/4. This old time
style of racing dated to a time when the courses
were too rough for wheels. In 1863 George M.
Patchen trotted two miles to saddle in 4:56. In 1927
a member of the Road Horse Association of New
Jersey took a shot at it with the trotter Peter Bean
and reduced it to 4:53%. Now the mark stands at
4:461/4 made in the presence of over thirty thousand
enthusiastic spectators after Walter Dear, Volomite,
Sir Guy Mac, Miss Woerner, Hazelton, Guy Ozark,
Highland Scott, and Hollyrood Colin had been
paraded for the edification of the patrons of
Weequahic Park.

CLASS IN THE TROTTER

Class and not numbers fixes the reputation of a
sire of racing material. That undefinable quality
which prompts a horse to make another bid for vic-
tory when his competitors are fading shows where
the acid stamp of merit should be placed. It does not
come by chance. It shows where the racing quality
was bred in.

Every one who goes to the races can recall a num-
ber of horses which rushed off in front but tailed
off as soon as one of the stout hearted trailers looked
them in the eye. For years the Tennessee Hals were

56 RACEALONG

the most formidable chasers among the pacers while
the Dictator and George Wilkes strains were as con-
spicuous among the trotters. Strange to relate the
Hal and Dictator lines were in time blended through
Direct and a mare by Tom Hal. The first sample of
the combination was the unbeaten Direct Hal with
which Geers made a sweep through the Grand Cir-
cuit. Of the Wilkes line all of them have faded ex-
cept the Axtell, Baron Wilkes and McKinney strains.
The last named runs to Alcyone and the first to
William L. Their leaders are Guy Axworthy, Dillon
Axworthy, Belwin and San Francisco. Justice Brooke
represents the Baron Wilkes line.

In 1926 Guy Axworthy displayed Guy Trogan, Guy
Richard, Guy Ozark and Guy McKinney, as high class
a group of trotters as ever took the word in any
company. In his first start Guy Richard won at
Kalamazoo in 2:04l^. At Toledo Guy Ozark showed
his quality by winning from Rose Scott and Great
Bells in 2:02l^ while the victory of Guy McKinney
in the Hambletonian and other stakes made him the
outstanding three-year-old.

In Thompson Dillon and Minia Dillon the Dillon
Axworthy family had a pair of high class race
horses that made their presence felt. Their best
showing was on the half-mile tracks but class counts
as much there as on the larger ovals.

At Windsor when Thompson Dillon defeated the
favorite Marmaduke a few thought that the Belwin
gelding did not make as bold a bid for victory as at
Sturbridge. This may have been true but when he

RACEALONG 57

did try the following week at Springfield Thompson
Dillon raced him into submission in the first heat.
After that he jumped and the battle was off.

The best of the Belwin trotters in 1926 were led
by Sumatra and Charm. They won in the fastest
company. Sumatra was on the complaining list from
the day she was foaled. Notwithstanding that handi-
cap whenever she went to the post in trim to finish
a race there was never any doubt of the result.

Another line in which class predominates was
founded by Peter the Great. He was a mixed bred
horse in which the trotter, pacer, saddle horse and
thoroughbred were blended. His trotting lines were
not noted for courage, Nancy Hanks and Jack being
the only members of the family that ever made good
in the fastest company. Still from him came a flood
of racing material.

Before this horse's pedigree was established John
E. Madden maintained that there was in the inheri-
tance of Peter the Great a stout cross of blood which
prompted his get to race true under all kinds of con-
ditions and in any company. It was found in Queen
Bess, the Lexington mare which produced Creole, a
horse that was for years buried under the name of
the Sam Johnson Horse. This find also strengthened
Madden's curt remark that the trotter at the founda-
tion traced either to the thoroughbred or ran into
the bushes.

The class which Peter the Great passed on to his
get carried Mabel Trask through her remarkable
series of races and made Miss Harris M. the first

58 RACEALONG

pacing mare to race into the two minute list. It also
carried on through the sons and daughters of Peter
the Great as was shown by the tremendous speed
of Peter Manning the most remarkable fast trotter
that ever lived, Rose Scott, Hollyrood Walter, Peter
Maltby, Hollyrood Susan, Hanover's Bertha, and a
host of others.

Canada contributed its sample of class in the
bunch of pacers bearing the Grattan Royal label.
Grattan Royal was discarded as a knee knocking
pacer until his get cleared the way to victory on the
race tracks. On account of it almost half of his life
was wasted. Still in time Lou Grattan and Roy
Grattan were followed by Tarzan Grattan, Jean Grat-
tan, Prue Grattan, Norman Grattan, Widow Grat-
tan and Grattan Bars.

Among the early trotters Dexter was the most
conspicuous example of class in the light harness
horse. From the day he was broken to harness
Clara's colt had .the whiz and dash which stamp
champions as their own. Woodruff recognized it as
he developed the gelding while Doble reached the
zenith when he drove him in 2:17V4- The test of
the class in Dexter did not, however, stand out in
this performance as it did when he raced Ethan
Allen and running mate and forced the pair to go
in 2:15 to win.

Still if Dexter is to be exploited what can be said
of Goldsmith Maid. She was also a world's cham-
pion and made her greatest campaign when she was
eighteen years old. To her race day was an old story.

RACEALONG 59

When the bell tapped she trembled in her eagerness
to get into the fray but jogged to the wire without
a ripple as soon as Doble was in the sulky.

Nancv Hanks was another trotter in which class
was very conspicuous. She raced every horse that
took the word with her into submission and never
lost but one heat. Her legs bothered her near the
end of her career. Some nights she would roll over
in the stall and stick her feet into the air to reduce
the circulation in them but all was forgotten when
she appeared on the track.

A few define class in a race horse as the ability to
go on and race in any company at any distance. Sam-
ples of this was seen in Cresceus, Star Pointer and
Mary Putney, neither of which knew where the wire
was and had to be pulled up at the finish of a heat.

Harry Wilkes, while a very ordinary bred horse
on his dam's side, had as much class as any trotter
of his day. He started the reputation of his family
w^hich still reigns supreme through the descendants
of Axworthy. His defeat by Jack at Lexington in
1889 also marked the first flash of that quality in
the line that subsequently contributed Peter the
Great and his descendants.

TRAINING METHODS

Every trainer has his own method of training colts
as well as keeping aged horses in condition for their
next campaign. Some depend on brushes at the end
of slow miles while others send them over the route

60 RACEALONG

to leg them up so that they will not be bothered with
a tired feeling on the trip from the distance to the
wire.

A number of trainers of late years have been going
to training camps below the frost line during the
winter months. In 1929 the most of this group was
at Longwood, Florida. Others remained in the north.
The latter are of the opinion that work in a cold
climate agrees with a horse and will keep him in
better form than the perpetual round of summer heat
from one year's end to the other.

It must, however, be admitted that if a trainer
has a bunch of two-year-olds he can separate the
wheat from the chaff quicker if he can keep them
constantly on the move with a little sharp work once
or twice a week and do it with more comfort in a
warm climate than in sections where there is snow
and ice as well as constant changes in the footing,
the latter being due to thaws or stormy weather.

Walter Cox and Ben White represent the two
extremes. Cox began training colts while at Granite
State Park, Dover, N. H. and continued at Indian-
apolis and Goshen, the number of youngsters in-
creasing from year to year. Lady Wanetka and Mary
Putney graduated from the snow banks. Others fol-
lowed until Cox reached the crest of his career among
juveniles by bringing out Sam Williams, Hazelton,
Fireglow, Walter Dear, Volomite, Miss Woerner, Sir
Guy Mac and Guy Day.

Few people ever saw a better bunch of colts in any
stable. All of them raced high in flesh and looked as

RACEALONG 61

plump and fresh when they were taken home at the
end of the season as when they were started in their
first engagements. This is what Cox contends the
winter weather does for the northern trained horse.
When others look faded and act dull the snow bird is
ready for battle and eager to do his part in getting
the big end of the purse.

There are also a few other items that go with the
horses trained by Walter Cox. All of them have
perfect manners while they race with low heads,
short toes and plain shoes. The only fancy thing
about any of them is the price if a visitor should feel
disposed to make a selection.

Since Ben White took up winter training in the
south he has located many choice racing samples,
almost all of which were aired in the futurities and
won their share of the money. His leaders were
Periscope which he started and sold to John L. Dodge
for John E. Madden, Princess Etawah, Brusiloff , Jane
Eevere, Lee W^orthy, Mr. McElwyn, Anna Bradford's
Girl, Aileen Guy, losola's Worthy, Ruth M. Chenault,
Charm, Kashmir, Benelwyn, Station Belle, Main
McElwyn, Gaylworthy, Alma Lee, Jessamine, Pola
McElwyn, Etta Vola and Grey Brewer.

Whether any or all of these would have gone as
far as they did if they had been trained in the north
during the winter months is a question that can
never be answered. The facts are that they made the
grade while in his four-year-old form Lee Worthy
was one of the most perfect trotting stallions that
•ever stepped on a race track. He won from such stars

62 RACEALONG

as The Great Volo, Peter the Brewer, and Czar
Worthy. Lee Worthy and Benelwyn are buried near
the three-quarter pole on the Lexington race track.

In 1924 when E. Roland Harriman decided to cut
out the matinee end of the Arden Homestead stable
he sent his horses to Orlando for the winter. Dicker-
son did not hurry any of them in their work, a mile
in 2:291/4 being the best shown by Peter Maltby.
Later on he raced in 2 : 06 1/4 and proved the best two-
year-old of his year. Of the other horses in the
stable Guy Trogan, Guy Ozark and Anna Bradford's
Girl more than held their own in all kinds of com-
pany.

In 1926 and 1927 the Arden Homestead horses
were wintered at Fayetteville, N. C. At that point
Dickerson and his assistants put in the most of their
time with the colts, the aged horses being brushed
two or three miles a day. Dickerson adopted that
plan with them instead of the old time method of
jogging. He found that it gave better results as was
seen by the races of Guy Ozark and Highland Scott.
The latter was timed separately below two minutes
in a race at Toledo and was forced to pace in 2:031/4
to defeat Silver Weather over the half-mile track at
Middletown in 1928. Guy Ozark also touched a couple
of high spots when he won in 2:05% at the Goshen
and Middletown meetings that year.

Another sample can be supplied by the Hodsen
stable. Early in 1928 it was shipped from Hartford
to Harrington, Del. and returned in May. The horses
in this outfit began racing in June and remained on

RACEALONG 63

the battle line until the first week in November, the
last starts being made at Clinton, N. C. All of these
horses were aged except the three-year-old pacer
Tramp Union.

The general impression among horse owners is
that aged horses are not improved by being wintered
in a warm climate. It is also self evident that colts
can be given more work during the winter months on
the southern tracks. If a trainer, however, is so
fortunate as to get one or two good ones it does not
make much difference where he is located, he will
win his share of the money.

Grattan Bars and Winnipeg were Canadian
products. Both of them wintered in the north and
won in the fastest company in 1928. In a few years
our northern neighbors may be sending colts to race
in the futurities. They have been entering them for
some time but so far Miss Wilks had the only
starter.

GRAND CIRCUIT OF 1921

The forty-eighth renewal of the Grand Circuit
closed at Atlanta on October 22 after a run of six-
teen weeks. Between July 4 and that date the eleven
members gave fourteen meetings at which 319 races
were contested. Of that number 190 were for trot-
ters, 128 for pacers, and one a mixed race, the latter
being the special between Peter Manning and Single
G. at Hartford.

The purses for the races in 1921 amounted to

64 RACEALONG

$584,097.06. In 1920 the total was $562,749.95, in
1919 the figures were $486,442.59 for thirteen meet-
ings and $459,837.35 in 1918.

The Grand Circuit of 1921 was a dupHcate of the
one which preceded it. Each of the Ohio members,
Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus, gave two meet-
ings, one of the stops at Columbus being for two
weeks. Lexington was also assigned two weeks
while one week stands were made at Kalamazoo,
Philadelphia, Poughkeepsie, Readville, Hartford,
Syracuse and Atlanta.

Three new names were added to the two minute
list in 1921, a gain over 1920 when Louie Grattan
and Prince Loree paced in even time. The leader
was Peter Manning 1:57%. The others were Arion
Guy 1:591/2 and Sanardo 1:59%. All of them were
driven to their records by Thomas W. Murphy.

In the matter of races the honors were about
evenly divided between Grayworthy and Jeanette
Rankin. The San Francisco filly was awarded the
largest amount of money while Grayworthy defeated
her in three races. He also took the measure of
Periscope. The latter was considered the best trot-
ter of the year until Grayworthy raced away from
her at Hartford and Lexington.

Grayworthy and Jeanette Rankin each won
eleven races out of fifteen starts. Breaks caused
Grayworthy's defeat at Toledo, Columbus and at
the Cleveland August meeting, where he was un-
placed to Periscope in the $15,000 free-for-all. He
balanced his account later with the Siliko mare

RACEALONG 65

while he also defeated Jeanette Rankin at Pough-
keepsie, Syracuse and Columbus, where McMahon
gave him a record of 2:02l^.

Of the pacers that made the Grand Circuit trip.
Roy Grattan and Jimmy McKerron were the busiest.
The latter took the word in fifteen races. He won
nine while he finished second in three and third in
three. Roy Grattan also won nine out of twelve
starts and finished second in three. Single G. won
eight firsts and one second out of nine starts on the
mile tracks before he switched off to the double
ovals.

Jane the Great was one of the strongest members
of the Laurel Hall stable. She won eight races and
was second in two after she showed in front at the
second Cleveland meeting. E. Colorado took the word
in thirteen races of which he won five, was second
in three, and third in four. Lameness kept him on
the doubtful list but he never failed to appear except
in a postponed race at the Columbus summer meet-
ing, while at Hartford, when Grayworthy won in
2:021/2, he was timed separately in 2:03.

Periscope carried everything before her until she
met Grayworthy at Hartford in the Charter Oak
Purse. After the race, Mr. Dodge said: ''Periscope
was beaten because she met a horse that could trot
faster than she could." This also explained her de-
feat in both of her races at Lexington.

The gray gelding Peter Daw was the busiest trot-
ter seen in the Circuit. He took the word in sixteen
races of which he won seven, was second in one,

66 RACEALONG

third in four and unplaced in four. He won his first
heat at Kalamazoo and his first race at Hartford.
He also won a race at Syracuse, three at Columbus,
and two at Lexington.

The three-year-old colt Silladar topped his first
summary at the second Toledo meeting. From that
point he won regularly each week until he was un-
placed to The Great Volo at Hartford. The following
week he won at Syracuse after which he dropped
out.

Hal Mahone won six races on the western end
of the Grand Circuit and Pitman picked up five with
Klio. After finishing second in three races the latter
won at Syracuse, Columbus, Atlanta and Lexington.

Of the horses which won four races on the trip
down the line in 1921, the most conspicuous were
the two-year-old filly Helen Dillon and Favonian.
In addition to landing the Breeders' Futurity and
the time honored Lexington Stake, Favonian de-
feated a field of aged horses at Toledo before start-
ing in the Champion Stallion Stake at Cleveland.
Helen Dillon led the two-year-old trotters with four
victories out of four starts. Her brother Nelson
Dillon also won two stakes and forced Rose Scott out
in 2:031/2 in the deciding heat of the Kentucky Fu-
turity. The beautiful trotter Emma Harvester also
won four races.

A dozen names appear in the list of horses that
won three races. Of these the best known are
Guardian Trust, the winner of the Matron and
Champion Stallion Stakes, and the sturdy battler

RACEALONG 67

Peter Coley with which Valentine won eight out of
fourteen starts on the mile tracks in 1920. Of the
others Eunice Belle won three in a row at the early
meetings. The Toddler was also credited with three,
one of them being at Toledo, where he defeated
True Britton. Uriko, Selka, Mary O'Connor, Edith
Worthy, The Great Miss Morris, Johnny Quirk and
Natalie the Great complete the list.

Fourteen names appear in the list of double
event winners. Rose Scott is the star of the group.
She won two futurities. The other double event
winners were Nelson Dillon, Hilda Fletcher, Wiki
Wiki, Escotillo, Kilo Watts, Brage, and Sis Bing.
Among the pacers the double winners, included
Roger C., Sir Roche after a trip through the Great
Western Circuit, Jim B., Abbe Hal, Jay Brook, and
Prince Loree. During the racing season the last
named was also shifted back to a trot and in his
only start in 1921 at that gait finished second to
Peter Coley at Columbus in 2:061/2.

FADING FAMILIES

Nature has secrets which breeders of race horses
have been unable to solve. It is now possible to re-
produce speed with a degree of uniformity as soon
as the breeder finds individuals which are noted for
that quality. The pinch comes, however, in selecting
the individuals. A clever race horse tracing to the
best families usually fails in the stud while mares
that have been raced for a number of years fre-

68 RACEALONG

quently produce foals which are not satisfactory
when the turf test is appHed. FilHes from race mares
or their sisters make the best matrons while in the
matter of selecting stallions there is nothing to do
but go ahead and await results. '

John E. Madden said that the only rule is to
breed a good mare to a good horse and let nature
do the balance. Then as Barney Fralick says, if
you get them you get them or if you fail try again.

In some families the daughters of speed producers
have bred on uniformly, the Nell family being the
most prominent. As for stallions it is a gamb'e.

Many a man has walked into the paddocks on a
stock farm or the sale ring and selected clever per-
formers but few picked horses that made successful
sires. Success switches so rapidly from one family to
another or to different branches of the same family
that it is impossible to forecast it. In addition to this
a horse is well along in years before his rating is
assured.

The trotting families as they exist today were
started in volume by blending the blood lines of the
sons of Hambletonian. Another strata was added by
doing the same thing with the sons of George Wilkes.
A number of them were leaders and if in their day
someone had said that Red Wilkes, Bourbon Wilkes,
Gambetta Wilkes, Onward or Simmons would fade
out he would have been laughed at. Still that is what
happened. Of the entire Wilkes family the only ones
that carried on were Alcyone, William L., Baron
Wilkes and Wilkes Boy.

RACEALONG 69

The lines to the last two are very faint. Wilkes
Boy continued through the Grattans. Since the death
of Grattan Royal it has been at a stand still and will
disappear if Grattan Bars, Orcus Gratten, or some
other son does not send out a flood of racing material.

The Baron Wilkes line is represented by Justice
Brooke. All of the others have dropped out. The
Alcyone Hne was continued through McKinney. Its
present leaders are San Francisco and Belwin. El
Canto and Lu Princeton are the only sons of San
Francisco that have sired a fair amount of racing
material. Belwin's sons have been credited with a
few performers.

William L. owes his place on the map to Axworthy.
Five of his sons made the grade. They are Guy
Axworthy, Dillon Axworthy, General Watts, Morgan
Axworthy and Judge Maxey. In 1930 each of them
were still in the stud. Morgan Axworthy being in
Europe. As yet Mr. McElwyn is the only grandson
that has shown that he may overshadow the horse
which got him.

The only other sons of Guy Axworthy that have
a fair representation on the turf are Dromore I.,
Axworth, and Arion Guy. The younger division
contains Traux, Guy McKinney, and Guy Richard.
Whether any of them will do as well as Lee Ax-
worthy, who died after two seasons in the stud,
remains to be seen.

The Bingen line is practically all that is left of
the Electioneer family. It was dominated by males.
As yet, few of their descendants have come on to

70 RACEALONG

take their places. Bingen's sons included Todd,
Bingara, Binjolla, Bingen Silk, J. Malcolm Forbes,
The Exponent, and Admiral Dewey. Etawah in 1930
was the leader in the family. He was got by Al
Stanley, a son of Todd. Lord Dewey, a son of Admiral
Dewey, did very well for a horse that was neglected
during the greater part of his career.

At present it looks as if the entire trotting fabric
was going to be submerged by a flood of racing speed
tracing to sons of Peter the Great. Out of this mass
new families will come to the surface.

Over one hundred and fifty sons of Peter the Great
have been reported as sires of racing material, the
scale running from a few to over a hundred for
others. The present leaders are Peter Volo, Azoff,
Chestnut Peter, Peter Scott, Czar Peter, Laurel Hall,
The Senator, and Peter McKlyo. By this it must
not be understood that there will not be other
families sending out racing material but it is self
evident that the mass production of the near future
will come from the Peter the Great family. None of
the other families are sending out winners that can
compare in volume with this tribe. The flood will
continue for the next ten years as many of its best
representatives are still in the prime of life while
others have at present but a few crops of foals to
represent them.

RACEALONG 71

POUGHKEEPSIE PASSED

The mile track at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., was built
in 1874 by Morgan L. Mott who owned Independent.
The first meeting was held in 1875. After an
inaugural on July 4 when Pondietta by Supurb won
the only race ever placed to his credit in 2:39 and
Hiram Howe landed William Nolan in front of Fanny
Miller and Ed Murphy, the Grand Circuit stables
moved in for four days the first week in August.

All of the best racing material of that period was
engaged. The star of the week was Goldsmith Maid
with which Budd Doble defeated American Girl and
Huntress in 2:17%. Hopeful also won from Lady
Maud while W. Sargent landed two races with St.
Julien. In one of them he defeated Great Eastern.

Two meetings were held at Poughkeepsie in 1876.
At the first one in June James Goldsmith won three
races with the Volunteer geldings Alley and Driver.
The Grand Circuit meeting in August was also made
memorable by Higbie marking Governor Sprague
in 2:201/4. The other winners during the week in-
cluded Thorndale by Alexander's Abdallah, Rarus,
May Bird by George Wilkes, and Goldsmith Maid.
In the first heat of her race Goldsmith Maid
distanced Lula, Smuggler and Judge Fullerton in
2:16'%. Bodine was the only one inside the flag.

Three meetings were pulled off at the Hudson River
Driving Park in 1877. At the May meeting James
Goldsmith gathered the most of the honors with
Powers and Alley. In July he won again with this

72 RACEALONG

pair. The Grand Circuit meetings brought a new
flock of racing material. The Hst of winners presented
the names of Nil Desperandum, Lysander Boy,
Prospero which Dan Mace marked in 2:20, Dick
Swiveller and Hopeful, the last named defeating
Nettile and Lucille Golddust in 2:19.

After a skip of four years racing was resumed at
Poughkeepsie in 1882, with a June meeting at which
James Elliott of Philadelphia defeated Pickard and
Tariff in 2:20% with Early Rose. The other winners
included Clemmie G., J. P. Morris and Crown Point
Maid with which Frank Wicker won two races with-
out getting her out of the 2:30 class.

All of the leading performers took the word at
the renewal of the Grand Circuit series. Hickok
won with Overman in 2:23% and Santa Claus in
2:20 from Edwin Thorne and Minnie R. Mosher won
with Onawa from Cornelia and Phyllis in 2:23 while
Fanny Witherspoon defeated Driver and Pickard in
2:181/4. The Volunteer mare Unolala was another
winner. She defeated Cora Belmont and George M.
The first pacer to start at Poughkeepsie also took
the word when Little Brown Jug paced an exhibition
mile in 2:18.

After this meeting Poughkeepsie dropped out of
the Grand Circuit until 1889, two years after Jacob
Ruppert purchased the Hudson River Driving Park.
The track was closed in 1883. In 1884 there was an
August meeting at which Frank Howell won a race
with Volmer. After another skip the Poughkeepsie
organization pulled off June and September meet-

RACEALONG 73

ings in 1886. At the former Lew Dunhan won with
the Dauntless gelding Zhan in 2:281/4. The other
winners that week included Skylight Pilot, Ernest
Maltravers, Tucker, and David L., and Joe L. won
the first pacing race given over the course in 2:24.
In September Trimble came over from Newburg and
won with the Young Jim gelding Garnet. The Gold-
smith stable also had two winners in Domestic and
Carver and Walnut trotted a mile in 2:20% in an
effort to beat 2:20.

In 1887 when Jacob Ruppert purchased the Hudson
River Driving Park he put Dave Herrington in
charge. He gave a meeting the last week in June.
The winners that week included Skylight Pilot, T. T.
S., David L., Edith by Happy Medium, and Kitefoot
with which Feek defeated J. B. Thomas in 2:17%,
David L. and Judge Davis. Another meeting was
put on the first week in September when Hurd won
with Jessie in 2:24i4 and Favonia defeated David L.
and Misty Morning in 2:19%. Herrington also won
with Ulster Belle while James Goldsmith landed
in front with Atlantic in 2:211/4.

After the June meeting in 1888 at which Fred
Folger, Spofford, Mount Morris and Silver Threads
won their engagements, the management of the
Hudson River Driving Park announced a meeting for
August 21 to 24. This was the date assigned Utica in
the Grand Circuit. The clash put Utica out of busi-
ness and the following year the grounds were sold.
Poughkeepsie had large fields, James Goldsmith win-
ning that week with Gean Smith, Company, Cleon

74 RACEALONG

and Silver Threads. The Ohio trotter Kit Curry also
defeated Thornless in 2:18% while in a special Rosa-
lind Wilkes landed in front of her stable companion
Gossip Jr. in 2:14.

The Dutchess County Fair was held the last week
in September at the Hudson River Driving Park in
1888. It was followed by another four day meeting
in October at which the Village Farm won with
Justina and Mocking Bird.

In 1889 the Grand Circuit Stewards gave Pough-
keepsie the third week in August. It opened the
season with a July meeting at which the leading
events were won by Yorktown Belle, Gean Smith,
Mambrino Hannis, Aline, Gillig and Miss Alice. At
the summer meeting the Village Farm won with
Mocking Bird and Globe and Belle Hamlin trotted a
mile in 2:14. Budd Doble drove Johnston a mile in
2:07 and Roy Wilkes defeated Gossip Jr. and Jewett
in the fast pace in 2:14. James Goldsmith got his
share of the honors by defeating Harry Wilkes and
Mambrino Sparkle in 2:15% with Gean Smith and
by landing Star Lily in front of W. H. Nichols.

At the June meeting in 1890 James Goldsmith un-
covered the two great trotters Pamlico and Mambrino
Maid. They won. Marendes also defeated G. R. S.
and Alta McDonald raced home in front of Edith
R. and Plush with Golden Rod. The feature of the
Grand Circuit meetings that year was the ten heat
race which Stevie won from Miss Alice, Golden Rod,
Globe and Camille in 2:19l^. It was one of the most
stubbornly contested events ever seen on a mile

RACEALONG 75

track. In the other races on the program Hal Pointer
defeated Gossip Jr. and Jewett in 2:13%; Crawford
won from Jocko in 2:151/2; while the HamHn stable
won with Mocking Bird and Henrietta in 2:18i4 ^^^
Emma disposed of Balsora Wilkes.

During the next two years the only racing at
Poughkeepsie except at the fair was given under
the management of the New York State Trotting
Horse Breeders Association. Dr. Day and Theodore
Coleman were in charge. In 1890 the leading winners
were Belmont Prince, Benton Wilkes, Clay King and
Femme Sole. In 1892 Alonzo McDonald made his
debut as a winner of stakes by landing a two-year-
old event for the Village Farm with Princess Royal
in 2:20.

After giving three meetings with small purses
in 1893 Jacob Ruppert decided in 1894 to back
another Grand Circuit meeting. It was held the third
week in August. The feature of the week was
Mascot's victory in 2:05% over Guy, Crawford,
Saladin and Paul.

From that date until 1903 there were one or two
small meetings in addition to the fair held at
Poughkeepsie each year. At one of these John R.
Gentry paced in 2:02V2> Robert J. in 2:06, and
Vitello defeated Raven in 2:09. At another in 1899
Wickliff e by George Wilkes was given a time record
of 2:351/^. He was then seventeen years old and was
the last of his sire's get to take the word. In 1900
Democracy won at Poughkeepsie in 2:071/4. The fol-
lowing year Cresceus trotted an exhibition mile in

76 RACEALONG

2:06l^ and Prince Alert defeated Connor, Indiana,
and Klatawah in 2:04%.

Poughkeepsie swung into line again with the big
meetings in 1903. The return of the leaders was
marked by a race in which Major Delmar defeated
The Abbott in 2:07. In the other events John Taylor
won from Texas in 2:12 and Dariel defeated Don
Derby in 2:04i/2> while Tiverton won two races, one
of them being trotted in 2:lll^.

Hetty G., with which Murphy started his career
on the mile tracks, won at Poughkeepsie in 1904
from Albert in 2:06l^ and Dariel paced in 2:03V2-
The following year Frank Yokum won over Dariel
and Royal R. Sheldon in 2:061/4 and Deloree after-
wards referred to as the dam of Prince Loree, won
in 2:121/4.

Angus Pointer and Sweet Marie were the stars
at Poughkeepsie in 1906. The Pointer horse paced
in 2:031/4 when he defeated Baron Grattan and
Nervolo, and Sweet Marie was forced to trot in
2:041/2 to defeat Wentworth, Snyder McGregor and
Turley. The other winners that week included Nut-
boy, Graft, Angiola, and Rudy Kipp with which
Murphy placed two first moneys to the credit of his
stable.

Lauretta by Prodigal also won in 2:091/2 at the
fair that fall. She afterwards produced Baronatta
and Prodigal Guy.

Two more Grand Circuit meetings were given at
Poughkeepsie before the repeal of the betting law
closed the gates of the Hudson River Driving Park.

RACEALONG 77

In 1907 Angus Pointer won from Argot Boy in
2:031/4 and Ardelle defeated Nervolo in 2:043/4.
Major Delmar also trotted a mile in 2:0514- In
October of that year Rhythmic Bell and The Native
trotted a $2,500 match race over the Hudson River
Driving Park. Rhythmic Bell was driven by M. E.
McHenry and won in 2:15%. On the same day Major
Delmar defeated Sweet Marie in 2:061/2- In 1908 The
Eel and George Gano met. The grey horse won in
2:021/2. That same week Hedgewood Boy won from
Blacklock in 2:03% and Hamburg Belle defeated
Spanish Queen in 2:051/4.

For the next six years there was but very little
racing at Poughkeepsie. The track was kept open
and a number of horses, including the Murphy out-
fit, were trained there. In 1916 prompted by the
showing in Orange County, Jacob Ruppert and H.
N. Bain decided to revive racing at the Hudson River
Driving Park. Seven more meetings were given. In
the interval Jacob Ruppert and H. N. Bain died.
Finally in 1922 it was announced that the track would
be closed.

All of the best horses in training started at this
last series. In 1916 The Real Lady won the two-year-
old event from Ante Guy in 2:08% and Napoleon
Direct cut the track record to 2:00% when he de-
feated Single G. and Russell Boy. Mabel Trask also
won that week from Azora Axworthy in 2:071/4 and
St. Frisco defeated Ima Jay in 2:0514.

The fastest race ever trotted over the Hudson
River Driving Park was on the card in 1917 when St.

78 RACEALONG

Frisco defeated Mabel Trask in 2:041/4, 2:013/^, the
time in the second heat equalled the second heat
made by Hamburg Belle in her race with Uhlan. In
1918 Murphy equalled the track record of 2:00%
when he won from Ben Earl with Miss Harris M.
The other winners that week included Directum J.,
Ben Ali, Oro Fino, Periscope, June Red and Lu
Princeton, the last named winning over St. Frisco
in 2:033^

Goldie Todd paced the fastest heat at Pough-
keepsie in 1919 when she defeated Frank Dewey
and Sanardo in 2:021/2- Cox also won that week with
Mignola and McGregor the Great and Dodge landed
in front with Hollyrood Kate in 2:05i/4.

In 1920 Bogalusa, then in his two-year-old form,
won in 2:09% from Favonian, whose dam Allie
Watts won in 2:07% over the same course in 1916.
Red Lancelot, Peter Coley, John R. Braden, Northern
Direct, Nedda and Directum J. were among the
winners that week. A new flock was seen out in
front in 1921 when the honors in the fast classes
went to Grayworthy, Sister Bertha, Mary O'Connor,
Jane the Great and Emma Harvester.

In 1922 the rain cut the last meeting over the
Hudson River Driving Park to two days. Bill Sharen
won the first race that week. He was followed by
Peter the Brewer, King Watts and Robert Direct.
On the following day Murphy reduced the track
record to 1:591/4 with Peter Manning. He also won
with Hope Frisco and Margarst Dillon, the latter
pacing a heat in 2:021/4. Edman won the two-year-

RACEALONG 79

old trot with Brandywine and Crozier landed the last
race over the Hudson River Driving Park with
Wesley R. in 2:08i/i.

In 1923 the Ruppert Estate ordered the Hudson
River Driving Park closed. The Murphy stable was
shipped to Syracuse and Frank Phillips moved to
Goshen. Poughkeepsie so far as racing was con-
cerned became like Oliver Goldsmith's Auburn.
**Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the

lawn,
Thy sports are fled, and all thy charms
withdrawn."

In time the ''gray beards" and 'Village states-
men" told of the doings in the racing world in that
locality from 1909 to the close of 1922. They related
how a young man in the early thirties came there
with a few horses and in fourteen years won over
a million dollars on the leading tracks of North
America. This was 'Vain transitory splendor" but it
is unique.

Before going to Poughkeepsie Murphy had done
well with a few horses. After he made it his head-
quarters the winners came forth in droves. Prior to
the campaign of 1909 Murphy wintered at Macon,
Ga. That year he won $66,400. The stars of the stable
were Native Belle and George Gano. The Moko filly
gave everybody a jar when she won the two-year-old
division of the Kentucky Futurity in 2:07%. She
was the first one to enter the 2:10 Rst. The same
week at Lexington Murphy also won the three-year-
old division of the same event with Baroness

80 RACEALONG

Virginia, defeating Czarevna, Bertha C. and Soprano.
In the trip down the Hne from Terre Haute to
Lexington Murphy landed ten out of eleven races
with George Gano. His only defeat was recorded at
Terre Haute in June when he finished second to Star
Patchen.

In 1910 Murphy won $43,000 on the mile tracks
with Native Belle, Alice Roosevelt, Captain George
and Twinkling Day. In 1911 his gross winnings
jumped to $86,111, the leader in the outfit being
R. T. C. with $31,900. Charley Mitchell also won
$15,000 and the pacer Sir R. $11,125. On the trip
Murphy was seen behind Belvasia, Cascade, Eva
Tanguay, Vanity Oro, June, Brace, Girdle, Long-
worthy B., Independence Boy, Lady Isle and Dr.
Jones.

Murphy left home with a formidable stable in
1912. Many of its members failed to connect on race
day and the winnings for the year dropped to $59,-
365. His best trotters were Queen Worthy, Dave
Halle, Dictator Todd, Axworth, Marigold, Queen
Lake, Jack London, Burt Axworthy and the
Canadian bred filly Princess Todd for the futurities.
He also had the pacers Longworthy B., Sir R., Susie
Belle, Chimes Hal, and took mounts behind Anna
Ax Me and Director Jay.

In 1913 the Murphy stable was reinforced by
Frank Bogash Jr. He won $23,325, an item which
helped to swell the stable's winnings for the season
to $76, 380. Peter Volo was another recruit. He was
then a two-year-old and won $8,650. The balance

RACEALONG 81

of the outfit was composed of Marigold, Tilly Tipton,
Longworthy B., Strathstorm, Barbara Overton,
George Rex, Sweet Spirit, Ruth McGregor, Mundy
C., and View Elder.

In 1914 MuiT)hy left Poughkeepsie with the best
stable in his career up to that date. Its leader was
Peter Volo. He won $33,781 of the $100,229 placed
to the credit of the outfit that season. Lassie Mc-
Gregor, the stake horse, broke down at Hartford.
The other horses which helped to make 1914 a hun-
dred thousand dollar season included Frank Bogash
Jr., Anna Bradford, Brighton B., Mirthful, Walter
Cochato, Irene Beau, Baron Marque, Bondella,
Strathstorm, Maintime, Nelly Temple, T. C. S.,
Major Ong, Lulu Lumine, Barbara Overton, Farmer
Spear, Strafford, The Temptress, and Sterling Hall.

Peter Scott was the leader in the stable in 1915.
He won $50,535, his last race being trotted at San
Francisco during the exposition. His only defeat on
the trip was at Detroit where he finished second to
Lee Axworthy. The latter also defeated Peter Volo
in the only race he lost during his turf career in a
match at Cleveland. The returns for 1915 credited
the Murphy stable with $128,400. The horses which
helped Peter Scott to roll up that amount were Di-
rectum I., Peter Volo, Humfast, Walnut Tree, Major
Ong, Mirthful, Ben Locanda, Lulu Lumine, Hal S.,
and Trampright.

The Real Lady w^as the star of the* Poughkeepsie
stable in 1916. She was then a two-year-old and
won in 2:04i4, a new world's record. The returns

82 RACEALONG

for the season totaled $83,053.50. The horses which
contributed to this amount included Azora Ax-
worthy, The Real Lady, Pittsburg, Vanko, Alta-
wood, Brisac, Virginia Barnett, Humfast, Kelly de
Forest, Jay Ell Mack, Roan Hal, Peter Stevens, Ex-
pressive Lou, Maple Tree, and Great Isle.

In 1916 during the September meeting at Colum-
bus the gelding Royal Mac was added to the Murphy
stable. He cost $2,500 and was considered anything
but a star. When tried he proved one of the best
trotters that ever took the word on the mile tracks.
In 1917 he won 14,895. In 1918 he had only a fair
year while in 1919 he earned $12,873. He finished
second in three Transylvanias.

The Murphy stable won $63,170 in 1917 with The
Real Lady, Royal Mac, Ruth Mainsheet, Butt Hale,
Kelly de Forest, Poorman, Oregon Hal, Pittsburg
and Peter Chenault. In 1918 its leaders in the trot-
ting races were Chilcoot, Ante Guy, the three-year-
olds Chestnut Peter, David Guy and Petrex, as well
as Royal Mac, Selah Baird, Kelly de Forest, Dorothy
Day, and Allan Watts. In the pacing events its win-
ners included Directum J., Ora Fino, Billy Jackson,
Budlight and The Problem.

The winnings for the season amounted to $104,-
903, it being the third time that Murphy ran into
six figures. His leaders in 1918 were Ante Guy with
$13,695, Directum J. with $13,217, and Chilcoot with
$11,275.

With the exception of Directum J., Miss Harris
M., and Royal Mac, Murphy had a new outfit when

RACEALONG 83

he shipped from Poughkeepsie in 1919. During the
season he won $83,847. Of that amount Direct C.
Burnett contributed $13,787, Mariondale $13,264,
and Royal Mac $12,873. His other money winners
included Fenesta, Dr. Nick, Brusiloff, Sanardo, Di-
rectum J., Goldie King and Miss^Harris M.

Murphy had a strong stable in 1920 when an acci-
dent at Cleveland kept him out of the sulky for the
balance of the season except at Readville and Hart-
ford. The stars of the group were Peter Manning,
Rose Scott and Arion Guy. The other winners were
Dar Hyal, Dr. Nick, Esther R., Sanardo, John Henry,
Brusiloff, Symbol S. Forrest, Ethel Chimes, Charley
Rex, and Red Russell. On account of this accident
Murphy's winnings for the year dropped to $59,261.

During the meeting at Lexington in 1921 Thomas
W. Murphy drove two trotters to records below two
minutes in one afternoon. The members of the stable
that season included in addition to the champions
Peter Manning and Arion Guy such performers as
Peter Daw, Silladar, Eunice Bell, Sanardo, Ross
Scott, the futurity winner, Carmelita Hall, Peter
Henley, Lord Frisco and Neva Brook. The winnings
for the year amounted to $70,947.25. In 1922 the
Murphy stable won $61,490 making the total from
1909 to the close of 1922 $1,085,762.75. The money
winners in 1922 were Margaret Dillon, Czarworthy,
Hope Frisco, Peter Etawah, Bill Sharen, Roy Grat-
tan. Princess Etawah and Plain Mac. Peter Manning
also trotted a remarkable series of fast miles. In
one of them he cut the world's record to 1:56%.

84 RACEALONG

THOMASVILLE SHACK

Since 1910 the winter quarters of the Pastime
Stable have been located in a shack at the upper
end of the half-mile track at Thomasville, Georgia.
On one side of it there is a forest of long leafed
pines and on the other the rows of box stalls in
which the horses are kept from November to ApriL

The walls of the shack are decorated with photos
of the horses which were raced in the colors of the
stable and prints of a few which were driven by the
men who trained there. An enlarged snapshot of
the first heat of the match race between Hamburg
Belle and Uhlan occupies the space between the
mantle over the fireplace and the roof of the shack.
In it the peerless daughter of Axworthy with
Andrews up appears in full flight a length in front
of her rival. This was the heat in which Hamburg
Belle made a race record of 2:01 14. As she came
back in the second heat in 2:01% Hamburg Belle
trotted the two fastest contested heats placed to the
credit of a trotter.

Andrews appears in two prints behind horses
with which he made turf history. One of them
Tenara won the Charter Oak Purse at Hartford in
1913. The other Mascot reduced the world's record
for pacers to -2:04 at Terre Haute, Ind., in 1892.
They were giants in their day. Now they are dust.

A snapshot of John A. McKerron standing in a
paddock at Nutwood Farm is tacked on the wall of
the shack. There was a day when this son of Nut-

RACEALONG 85

wood Wilkes was the world's amateur champion
trotter. His battles for the gold cup with Sadie Mac
and others attracted national attention. He retired
with a record of 2:04V2- His leading descendant is
the brood mare Honeymoon which produced Guard"an
Trust, Bunter, First National, Ned Hale, Gloria,
Coburn and Jean Clare. Both Bunter and Guardian
Trust are represented in the gallery of the Thomas-
ville shack, one of the prints showing Rosemire
holding the distinguished brothers.

There are several prints of the two minute stallions
Lee Axworthy 1:581/4 and Arion Guy 1:59V2- One of
them shows Lee Axworthy in his first race at Cleve-
land and another Arion Guy in one of the heats of
the Kentucky Futurity which he won in 1920. Lee
Axworthy also appears in another print with Lou
Dillon l:58i/2- This is unique as it shows the first
mare and the first stallion to beat two minutes.

A print of Volga jogging recalls the chestnut mare
that won all of her engagements for the Pastime
Stable. Scattered over the walls there are many other
pictures of horses which failed to climb so high on
the ladder of fame. These include Farra 2:0814
with Andrews up, Rusticoat, Jim Todd, Albert
2:07%, Majolla 2:151/4 and Uncle Biff 2:06%. Rose-
mire added a unique one to the collection by bring-
ing south a picture of Prince Loree with Tris Speaker
in the sulky. There is also an old print of the black
gelding Edwin Forrest with George Cadwallader up.
This horse made a record of 2:311/2 to saddle over the
Centerville Course on Long Island in 1834.

86 RACEALONG

LEADING REINSMEN IN 1921

Of the reinsmen who won over twenty races in
1921, Thomas W. Murphy led with a score of forty-
five. That total was made with fourteen horses,
four of which were credited with twenty victories.

The Canadian bred gelding Roy Grattan was his
most consistent winner. He landed nine races. Peter
Daw stood second on the list with seven. This horse
failed to show in front until the circuit stables
reached Hartford. From that date he was busy. At
Syracuse he won again while at Columbus he was
credited with three races and at Lexington with
two.

The three-year-old colt Silladar won all of his en-
gagements from the second Toledo meeting to Syra-
cuse, except at Hartford, six being the number of
his victories. Peter Henley and Sanardo each won
four. The latter was the only new two-minute per-
former in 1921. He was unable to defeat Single G.,
and Hal Mahone defeated him at Cleveland and
Columbus.

The three-year-old fillies Rose Scott and Eunice
Belle added considerable to the winnings of the
stable. Early in the season the Peter Volo filly scored
three victories in consecutive weeks and then
failed, while Rose Scott, after being defeated at
Readville, by Favonian, won at Columbus and Lex-
ington. Carmelita Hall, Neva Brooke and Princess
Nadena were the other double winners in the Mur-
phy stable.

The New England reinsman Harry Brusie stood

RACEALONG 87

second on the list with forty races won. They were
scored with sixteen horses, of which the three-year-
old filly Guaveta landed five, Charles Direct, Mauna
Loa, and Don Gill four each, while three first moneys
were won with Etabella, Miss Rico, and Peter Star.

Brusie started his 1921 campaign at the Toronto
winter meeting where he w^on with Prince Abbe and
Belle Coronado. His next win was at Avon, Conn.,
with Etabella. The following week he sprang a
surprise when he defeated Sylvie Brooke and Hale
Garner at Windsor with Guaveta. He also won with
the Etawah filly at Greenfield, Springfield, and
Brockton.

Early in the season Brusie thought he had a
stake horse in Charles Direct. He pulled up lame at
Avon after showing a mile in 2:08 and was not in
trim to race again until the middle of September.
Mauna Loa failed to win until the fairs started.
At Springfield and Brockton, she showed her ability
to beat 2:10 over a half-mile track.

A weeks' illness at Columbus during the Septem-
ber meeting resulted in Cox being placed third in
the list of 1921 w^inning drivers. While he was in
the hospital, McMahon won for him with Gray-
worthy and Jane the Great.

Cox won thirty-nine races with thirteen horses. Of
this group Grayworthy was the leader. He won ten
races with him and also showed that he was the
best racing trotter of the year. Of his 'other leaders
Cox won eight races with Jane the Great, five with
E. Colorado, and three each with The Great Miss

88 RACEALONG

Morris, Natalie the Great, and The Great Volo.

An early start at the Ohio meetings rushed Fred
Edman off in front, his lead being maintained until
the stables reached Columbus in September. Ed-
man pulled up at Lexington with thirty-five winning
mounts, his last victory being in the Lexington
Stake with Favonian. During the season Edman won
four races with this colt, one of them being the
Breeders' Futurity at Readville where he defeated
Rose Scott. Edman also won six races with Jay
Brook, five each with Dorothy Day, and Ruth Patch,
four with Ruth Stout, and three each with Julia M.
Direct and Legal J.

Edman also drove Whip Cord to his record of
2:121/4 over the Cranwood Driving Park at Cleve-
land. This horse was sold out of the army at Char-
lotte, N. C. in 1918. He was taken to Pinehurst and
started in the matinees to harness and under the
saddle. As he showed speed he was raced for two
seasons at the southern fairs before M. Sebree ap-
peared with him at Cleveland. After winning a
heat and losing one, the judges decided a new reins-
man would improve matters. Edman was selected.
He won with the ex-war horse, whose history prior
to his appearance at Charlotte is unknown.

Few reinsmen ever made a better campaign with
a small stable than Joe Johnson in 1921. A couple
of years ago this young man, like Dustin and Bither,
moved from Maine, looking for an active field for
training operations. He located at Combination
Park, Medford, Mass., where he made his first starts

RACEALONG 89

this year with Colonel Bidwell and Bernie Hayt. The
former was an ex-member of the Cox stable where
he failed on account of his owner barring hopples.
A change brought out the regulators and Johnson
won fifteen races with the gelding. Colonel BidwelFs
only defeat was recorded at the Readville Grand
Circuit meeting. On the trip through the Bay State
Circuit and at the fairs Johnson also won five races
with Bernie Hayt and four with the there-year-old
gelding Mr. Hoover. The roan filly Josephine Sharpe
was his most formidable rival.

Joe Johnson won thirty-one races in 1921. This
was one more than appears after the name of Sep
Palin. The latter opened his campaign at Findlay in
May and kept going until the grooms were compelled
to break the ice on the water buckets at the Cleve-
land overcoat meeting. During the season he won
with thirteen horses. His leader was Walter K. He
won seven races. Of the others Galli Curci won four.
The Hoosier Lady, Kokomo George and Wanda May
three each, and Abbe Hal two.

Vic Fleming won twenty-five races with twelve
horses in 1921. He made his first starts on the
Ontario tracks where he won with Belle Coronado
and Royal Dundee. A trip to Michigan and Ohio
followed prior to the opening of the Grand Circuit
at Cleveland the first week in July.| Fleming's card
for the season shows that he won four races with
Belle Coronado, four with Logan Hedgewood, and
four with Uriko, the latter taking a record of 2:02i4
when he landed a coup at Columbus in September.

90 RACEALONG

Of his other starters Allie Clay won three races,
while two each were credited to Dan Aubrey and
Senator Wilkes. The death of Louie Grattan at
Columbus in August weakened Fleming's stable.

Stokes, Crozier and Whitehead are each tied with
twenty-one winners. The Ohio reinsman won five
with Charley Sweet before he met with a mishap
that put him on the shelf, and four each with Peter
Coley and Peter Beiler. Frank Little and Walter
Sterling were also double winners for him, the
Peter Volo gelding being one of the fastest three-
year-old trotters in 1921.

Notwithstanding a broken collar bone which put
him down for a month, Crozier won seven races with
Almaden Onward, four with Labe Riddell and three
with Harkness E. Whitehead won five races with
Dr. Douglas, four with Miss Zola Zombro, and three
each with Van H. and Baby Ginter. He also won two
with Princess M. and one each with Belle Alcantara,
Lena Moko and King Hedgewood.

The ex-soldier Marvin Childs staged a splendid
come back with Hal Mahone and Kilo Watts. He
won nine races with the pacer and five with the
Watts mare.

Of the reinsmen who made a good showing with
one horse, McDonald leads with Jeanette Rankin.
He won eleven races with her in the fastest com-
pany. Grayworthy and Main Lick were the only
horses that defeated her on the trip from Cleveland
to Lexington. Allen won twelve races with Single G.
and Nat Ray nine with Jimmie McKerron. Snow

RACEALONG 91

also won eight with Peter Pater, his most brilliant
performance being at Goshen when he trotted the
half-mile track in 2:081/4-

TURF TRIAL BALANCE

Drivers of trotters have spats like other folk. They
come together, bump off, and make up. One day at
Fleetwood Park, New York, Budd Doble slashed John
Kelly across the face with his whip for pinching
Manager with Blue Sign. Others use more tact, like
Fred Hyde did at Toledo in 1919 when Oscar Watts
flirted with Peter Chenault. The latter had worked in
2:05 and started favorite. Chenault was a jumper.
He required clear sailing to win.

At Kalamazoo the preceding week Fenesta with
Murphy up almost took the legs from under Miriam
Guy in the third heat of the race that Cox won with
McGregor the Great. It cost Hyde's mare the
difference between fourth and second money, $400
net. Lyman Brusie also got a jolt with Dr. Elmore.
He felt like fighting. Hyde knew how to stop that
kind of work. His chance came at Toledo where Oscar
Watts raced so close to Peter Chenault that Murphy
had to take the overland route. Brusie won a heat
with Emma McGowan and Peter Billiken landed the
event in 2:05^/4.

After the race, peace was declared. The dove
perched on the banks of the Maumee. The backers
of Peter Chenault paid for their tick^s. Only one
or two of them knew why they never had a chance
to win.

92 RACEALONG

FROM GAY TO GRAVE

It is rather unusual for a fair ground or race track
to be purchased for a cemetery. As a rule the growth
of towns or cities result in streets being opened
through the property and homes or factories cover
the land which was at one time devoted to racing.
That is, however, what happened at Clinton, Mass.
in 1929 when John E. Thayer sold the fair ground
and race track to St. Johns Church which will dis-
mantle the buildings and add the land to its
cemetery.

A proceeding of this kind was recorded at New
Orleans many years ago. In the ante-bellum days the
crescent city had one of the finest race courses in
America. Its name was linked with the Fashion and
Union courses on Long Island, New York, while its
equipment was superior to the old time race grounds
in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, or Mississippi.

The name of the Metairie Course at New Orleans
still at times appears in print. It was there that
Lecomte defeated Lexington in 1854 in the only
race the latter lost while Lexington also made the
three mile record over it.

This course was controlled by the Louisiana
Jockey Club, an organization which included in its
membership many southern planters, a few of which
bred and raced horses, as well as a number of gentle-
men in New Orleans. Some of these were what would
now be called high rollers. They bet heavily on the
races as well as in the games which were run in the

RACEALONG 93

local gambling houses or on the Mississippi River
boats.

Frequently the planters when marketing the
products of their plantations lost or won a season's
crop and occasionally a bunch of slaves over the
green tables in the gambling houses. One place in
New Orleans was recognized as headquarters for
those who were interested in racing and who at
times sat in at an unlimited game like a few modern
folk did at Canfields in Saratoga or New York.

As usual the house took its toll and the proprietor
Charles Howard eventually had more capital than the
most of his customers. He also founded the Louisiana
Lottery which became the greatest gambling enter-
prise in America.

From time to time Howard met the patrons of his
house and enjoyed their company. The most of these
reunions occurred on the race course at Natchez or
at the Metaire course in New Orleans. Also when the
management of the local track struck a rough spot
on the road and required funds either before or after
a meeting Howard was called on for a loan.

After a few of these visits some one suggested that
he become a member of the Jockey Club and take a
chance on making or losing a little on the race
meetings. When his name was presented for mem-
bership much to the surprise of those who sub-
mitted it Howard was black balled.

Assuming that it might have come about through
a misunderstanding the name was again presented
at the next opportunity and again it was rejected.

94 RACEALONG

This created considerable comment and an explana-
tion was demanded. In due time the friends of the
rejected party were told that while the members of
the Club were pleased from time to time to frequent
his gambling house they did not consider its former
proprietor as the equal of the southern gentlemen
who were members of the Louisiana Jockey Club.

Although Howard had the reputation of being a
peculiarily good natured and amiable man the re-
jection of his application put him in a rage. He openly
declared that he would turn the race track into a
cemetery. First he acquired a controlling interest
in the stock. Then he purchased the property and
later gave it to New Orleans for a cemetery.

The Metairie Cemetery on the shell road at New
Orleans with its thousands of vaults covers the
course where the thoroughbreds raced before the
war between the states. The names of those who
took part in this controversy are forgotten but the
cemetery stands as a reminder of what a little
vanity did to a race course.

EPSOM IN WINTER

In winter the English course on Epsom Downs
is deserted. The caretaker in the stand, a few oc-
cupants of the Downs Hotel, and a couple of trainers
are all of the people located near the Derby course.

To an American it does not look like a race track.
There is no outside fence. The public can come and
go where or when it pleases on race day or any
other day except in the stand and betting enclosure.

RACEALONG 95

The broad strip of turf which is enclosed as a course
follows the natural lay of the land. It is of an up and
down hill variety. From Tattenham corner where
the American bred horse Sir Martin fell when he
looked like a winner the grade is up hill to the
finish. It is located a short distance above the stand.
The ascent continues from that point until near the
turn opposite the Downs Hotel.

As it sweeps off to the left there is a dip to a
clump of trees. They are near the starting point of
the Derby. From that point there is a steep ascent
on which the spectators in the stand can get a
splendid view of the horses as they race to the turn
and down the grade w^hich carries them to Tattenham
corner.

In January, 1925, the course was as green as an
American pasture field in May. The grass was short.
The blossoms of a few dandelions could be seen at
intervals between the gate leading out of the betting
enclosure and the point where the judges' box is
located. Opposite the latter on the inside of the
course there is a broad white board with a black
line in the center. It is the finishing point and is
far enough away from the stand to prevent anyone
disputing the returns.

The stand at Epsom Downs in 1925 was a large
building equipped with a number of steps and
verandahs which were divided into bo^es. With the
seats on the roof it would accommodate between
seven and eight thousand people. The balance of the
spectators on Derby Day, until the new stand was

96 RACEALONG

built, occupied temporary stands or were scattered
over the high ground outside or inside the course.

The interior of the old stand was divided into
rooms which were used for offices or the sale of re-
freshments although the latter is well taken care of
by a four story restaurant which was built in 1914.
It is as long and almost as high as the grandstand.
In the interior of the stand printed Hsts of the box
holders in 1924 were still posted on the large pillars
on the different floors.

The royal apartments were the show place in the
old stand at Epsom. They were on the third floor
and consisted of a kitchen, dining room, reception
room and other rooms which had all of the modern
conveniences of a hotel. In the walls of the reception
room there were a number of stained glass windows.
On the bottom of each the name of a Derby winner
and the year of his victory appeared. The first to
catch the eye was Diomed. He won the first Derby
in 1780. Ormond and others which have carried the
name of the English thoroughbred around the world
are honored with a place in this apartment.

When the King goes to the races he takes along
his servants, food, coal, water and every other
article which might be wanted during the visit. He
does not take a chance of anyone handing him a
sandwich or a hot dog that might put him out of
business.

The royal box was large enough to accommodate
a dozen or fifteen people. It adjoined the stewards'
box in which there was a conspicuous sign stating

RACEALONG 97

that the front of it was not to be occupied while
races are being run. In other words, the stewards of
the Jockey Club were required to step back to the
rear so that the members of the royal family could
have a clear view of the course while the horses are
racing through the stretch.

At Epsom Downs there was also another small
stand about two hundred yards from the larger
building. It was erected by King Edward when he
was Prince of Wales. So long as Queen Victoria
reigned he did not occupy the royal box except when
she came to the races. He built this one for the use
of himself and friends.

Like all other courses Epsom has its troubles.
Being crown land it is open to the public at all times
and two or three roads cross the course. These are
closed during the races. This did not cause any
trouble as long as there was horse drawn vehicles.
The auto, however, made a change as in wet
weather the trucks and heavy cars make ruts in the
course which since 1780 has been reserved for the
galloping horse.

SYRACUSE TEN THOUSAND

The New York State Agricultural Society was
organized in 1832. It did not attract very much at-
tention until 1841 when a very creditable exhibition
was made in Syracuse. After that 'date, the fair
migrated from New York City to Buffalo. Forty-
nine years were checked off the calendar before it

98 RACEALONG

was permanently located at Syracuse. In the interval,
nine fairs were held in Albany, Rochester and
Elmira, eight in Utica, three each in Syracuse,
Buffalo and Saratoga, two in Watertown, one at
Auburn and one in New York City.

The New York State Fair was located at Syracuse
in 1890. It did not make much progress until it was
taken over by the state in 1900. Under state manage-
ment, the grounds were enlarged and equipped with
a mile track. The Association also asked for dates
in the Grand Circuit. The voice from Syracuse was
not listened to until 1905 when the Hartford manage-
ment refused to continue the conflict.

At its first Grand Circuit meeting, the fair
management programmed the $10,000 Empire State
Purse. It brought out a field of thirteen horses. W.
J. Andrews won the event with EtheFs Pride in
2:081/4- Ben Kenney secured the honors the fol-
lowing year with Allie Jay, while Geers was
triumphant in 1907 when he defeated Wilkes Heart
and Sonoma Girl with Highball in 2:06%.

Spanish Queen won the Empire State Purse for
George Estabrooke in 1908 after Aquin had two
heats to his credit. She was followed in 1909 by the
midget trotter Penisa Maid, whose first heat in
2:06^4 niade a new record for the fixture. Billy
Burke and Charley Mitchell were the next pair to
add their names to the list of winners, while Rodney
followed in 1912 with Baden.

Five heats were trotted in 1913 before Lord
Dewey was awarded first place over Reusens, Star

RACEALONG 99

Winter and Judson Girl, the last named finishing
second in three of them. After that date the race was
put on the three heat plan, Margaret Druien winning
off the reel in 1914 and Peter Scott the next year.

In 1916 Mabel Trask and St. Frisco were the
leaders. At Hartford the preceding week this splendid
pair of trotters battled for six heats before the San
Francisco horse was declared the winner. At Syra-
cuse, St. Frisco trotted three heats in 2:05%, 2:03%,
2:051/4, Al Mack finishing second in the fastest mile.

Neither Royal Mack or Prince Loree, the next two
winners, reached the mark set by St. Frisco, but in
1919 in a battle with thirteen of the fastest trotters
in training, McGregor the Great won from Marion-
dale in 2:03iA.

Peter Manning placed his name at the top of the
summary in 1920. His fastest heat was trotted in
2:0414. The following year Greyworthy moved the
mark down to 2:021/?. This remained as the record
of the event until 1928 when Benelwyn defeated
Fullworthy and a large field in 2:01i/o. In this race
Fullworthy won a heat in 2:02 and in 1929 he came
back again and won the $10,000 event from Holly-
rood Pat and Gay 1 worthy in 2:021/2.

In the interval between the victory of Gaylworthy
and the fast trip made by Benelwyn this splendid
fixture was won by Czarworthy in 2:03%, Taurida
in 2:041/2 and Tilly Brook in 2:04%, EU)b Armstrong
in 2:07, Sumatra in 2:021/^ and Sam Williams in
2:031A. Tilly Brook and Bob WiUiams won their
races over the cinder track.

100 RACEALONG

MYSTERIOUS DEPOSITOR

During a convention at Atlantic City, a group of
bankers were talking shop on one of the hotel
porches. Most of their remarks were rather common-
place, until a lanky individual, whose general ap-
pearance showed that he came from near the
Mexican border, snapped the ashes off his cigar with
the remark that if no one objected he would tell them
of an old incident in connection with a director in
the bank of which he was president. As no one
demurred, he prefaced his story with an explanation
that he came from Texas, where cattle was the
staple. With his people a man's rating depended on
what he had on the hoof.

**One day, however," he continued, "a young man
with whom I had a nodding acquaintance came into
the bank and made application for a small loan. He
frankly admitted that he had no security to offer, ex-
cept an assignment of a portion of his salary. He was
working for a friend of mine, and I knew that he
had a permanent position. Still that does not satisfy
directors, so I turned him down. Later in the day
another man came in and took up a note which I
had long since charged to profit and loss. It was a
personal matter and as I counted the money, I
decided to let the young man have a portion of it.
So the next morning when I met him on the street,
I told him that if he would call I would help him out.
I suppose some of you old flint hearts have done the
same thing a few times in your lives, just as a flyer.

RACEALONG 101

instead of counting up the interest that a loan will
bring in before the principal is paid.

''Three weeks later my young friend came into the
bank and after making a deposit, handed me a check
for the loan with the interest to date. During the
next three months he also came into the bank nearly
every week to make a deposit, after which there was
a skip to the following August when he again began
to make deposits and continued them to October.
His account also showed that the only check drawn
against it was the one with which he paid my loan.

Tinally a third year rolled around and about the
middle of July he appeared again. Starting off with
a few hundred a week, his deposits soon ran up to
four figures. Each of them was also a draft on
New York or Chicago, and no two ever came from the
same city. As there was considerable bad paper
floating around the country at that time, I told one
of the secret service men about this peculiar account,
as I could not imagine where this money was coming
from. All that he could learn was that a man called
at each of the banks, purchased the drafts with
currency, and mailed them to the mysterious
depositor. He also learned that he never received or
sent any telegrams, or sent off any express matter
and so far as they could find out wrote but very
few letters. His mail was limited to an occasional
letter and three or four weekly papers. The drafts
were purchased in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Kentucky
and Texas, while the others came from Oklahoma,

102 RACEALONG

Missouri, and Illinois. The account also became such
a matter of comment in the bank that the clerks
were betting pennies as to where the next draft
would come from.

"The following year my young friend began de-
l)ositing about the middle of July and continued until
October. The drafts came from the same states as
the preceding year, while the amounts, except in a
few cases, were about the same, until the last one
which was well up in four figures. A few days after
that deposit was made I had occasion to go to New
York. Upon my arrival, I registered at a hotel
near the Grand Central depot and while I was wait-
ing for the clerk to assign me a room, a middle aged
man, who had occupied a section opposite me in the
sleeper on the ride from Cincinnati and registered
after me, stepped up and asked if I knew a man,
naming the bank's mysterious depositor. I said that
I did and not knowing what kind of a game was
going to be handed me in the big city, like an old
ranger I felt if my gun was in place and turned to
walk away. The stranger followed me, however, and
in a very friendly way asked a few questions regard-
ing this young man and of course there was nothing
for me to tell him except that I knew him. Finally
my chance acquaintance told me that the name of
this young man was well known in light harness
racing circles; in the north and that for four years
a horse owned by him had been winning regularly,
first at meetings in the middle west and during the
past two years at many of the big meetings, also

R A C E A L 0 N G 103

that he had purchased the horse for a large amount
and was going to take it to Europe. He said that he
remembered the name of the town where the owner
lived, although he had never met him, and spoke to
me when he saw by the register that I came from the
same place.

*'By that time I began to get wise to the opera-
tions of my young friend and on my return home he
told me that he had purchased a colt for a small
amount and placed it in the hands of a trainer. By
careful management he succeeded in saving enough
money to pay the bills until the horse was ready to
go to the races and the loan was to take care of the
shipping bills and entrance fees. His horse also won
its first race and kept winning. In fact there were
only five or six races in the four years when it failed
to get in the money and as he quietly remarked
his trainer knew that it was not good while the public
made it a top heavy favorite. No one with a grain
of sense in the racing world ever ask for anything
better than that, where there is pool selling with the
field selling against the favorite. To one on the inside
it was like finding money and he did.

''However, that young man is now one of the
directors of the bank and he will inherit the few
pennies I have saved, as he has also married my
daughter. In time he will no doubt come to one of
these conventions when he may tell a few of you
how he owed his start in life to a horse."

104 RACEALONG

FASHIONABLE FAMILIES

Blood lines in race horses slip in and out of fashion
like styles in clothes. After a run of a few seasons
another strain glides in and gathers the laurels.
Breeding in fashionable lines is a case of following
the winners in the colt races and aged events. Those
who supply them and start the boom get the reward
while those who hop from one family of horses to
another in the hope of getting a champion pay the
bills. The changes are first seen in the futurities
while the flourish in the aged events precedes the
exit.

In the early days of light harness racing when
there were eight or nine families, the rivalry was
keen. At that time the number of the performers
was the most important item. For a time the
Morgans flourished from Maine to California. They
faded when the speed dropped to 2 :20. By that time
the Hambletonian, Mambrino Chief, Champion and
Clay families made their bow. The northern breeders
pinned their faith to the Hambletonians while a
few remained loyal to the Clays and Champions.

Kentucky was the battle ground of the Mambrino
Chief family. It was not very numerous on account
of the early death of its founder but it had several
formidable representatives on the turf.

For a number of years George M. Patchen, Lucy,
American Girl and Hopeful kept the Clay pennant
flying. Lady Thorn, Hannis and Woodford Mambrino
and the descendants of the last named through Pan-

RACEALONG 105

coast and Princeps did yeoman service for the
Mambrino's. When they passed there were few to
take their places and the Hambletonians dominated
the field with Dexter, Nettie, George Wilkes, Orange
Girl, Jay Gould, and Goldsmith Maid.

Goldsmith Maid was the first noted performer by
a son of Hambletonian. When others followed, the
breeders saw that this family would absorb the
others. In time all the popular lines became sub-
divisions of the Hambletonian strain. The lines run
to the tap root through George Wilkes, Happy
Medium, Electioneer, and a faint streak through
Dictator, Alexander's Abdallah and Strathmore.

There were others which for a time had a fol-
lowing but when the acid test of reproduction in
subsequent generations was tried they faded. This
group included Egbert, Aberdeen, Edward Everett,
Knickerbocker, Masterlode, Victor Bismarck, and
Volunteer.

Volunteer was for several years a rival of his sire
in Orange County. His get did not race young but
when they did appear they made reputations as
sterling performers. His leaders were St. Julien,
Alley, Bodine, Gloster, Powers, Driver, Unolala, and
Sweetness, which after being taken to California
produced Sidney, the grandsire of Lou Dillon. Of
Volunteer's sons Louis Napoleon was the only one
that made a reputation in the stud. He got Charles
Hilton, Grace Napoleon, and Jerome Eddy. The line
stopped with the latter after he sired Fanny Wilcox
and Ella Eddy.

106 RACEALONG

George Wilkes was taken to Kentucky in 1873.
He died in 1882. In nine years he laid the foundation
of a family of light harness horses that is still tap-
ping at the door of popular favor. At the first remove
the get of this horse included Harry Wilkes, Wilson,
Baron Wilkes, Guy Wilkes, J. B. Richardson, Rosa
Wilkes, So So and Wilton. His sons were scattered
all over the continent: Alcantara and Alcyone being
in Massachusetts, Guy Wilkes in California, Am-
bassador and Hambletonian Wilkes in Michigan,
while of those which were retained in Kentucky,
Red Wilkes, Wilkes Boy, Onward, Jay Bird, Simmons,
Baron Wilkes, Gambetta Wilkes, William L., and
Young Jim sent out a flood of speed, like their sire.
Red Wilkes carried on in the fast list through Ash-
land Wilkes, the sire of John R. Gentry, and Patchen
Wilkes through the stout battler Joe Patchen to
Dan Patch. Alcyone got McKinney whose son Zombro
got San Francisco, the sire of Lu Princeton, St.
Frisco, Jeanette Rankin, Fireglow, Chilcoot, Mary
Putney and Sanardo. William L., almost an outcast
but a brother to Guy Wilkes, lives in turf history
as the sire of Axtell, whose son Axworthy got Guy
Axworthy, Dillon Axworthy, General Watts, and
Judge Maxey, Mr. McElwyn the sire of Main Mc-
Elwyn appears at the next remove.

While George Wilkes was making a reputation
in Kentucky, Happy Medium came to the surface.
It resulted in his transfer to Kentucky where he got
the unbeaten champion Nancy Hanks. Before leav-
ing Pennsylvania this son of Hambletonian was

RACEALONG 107

mated with the Pilot Jr. mare Tackey and got the
gray colt Pilot Medium. He was shipped to Michigan
where in 1894 he got the wonder sire Peter the Great.

A raid in Kentucky during the Civil War resulted
in the death of Alexander's Abdallah. His name
became a fixture through the races of Goldsmith
Maid and the get of Almont, Belmont and Thorndale.
Almont was a leader for a number of years but his
descendants failed after one or two removes. The
Belmont strain continued to Nutwood.

Electioneer was shipped to California in 1876,
three years after George Wilkes was taken to
Kentucky. There was a keen rivalry between their
get. In the matter of extreme speed Electioneer led
in the first remove but when it came to getting the
money in races the odds were with the Wilkes tribe.

A wave of time record performances followed the
advent of the Electioneer family. Everybody was in
the market for brood mares that had produced fast
performers, regardless of how the records were
made. Those who managed the time record mills at
Stockton, Independence, and other points saw that
the demand was met.

As record makers the Electioneers were in a class
by themselves. Each year the Marvin School sent
out a new set of champions, the list including Fred
Crocker, Wildflower, Bell Bird, Hinda Rose, Bonita,
Manzanita, Sunol, Palo Alto, Norlaine and Arion.
Prices jumped at each transfer until $125,000 was
paid for Arion. But with it all from a racing stand-
point the only ones which left a mark in the minds

108 R A C E A L 0 N G

of race goers were Expressive, Palo Alto, Little
Albert, Azote, The Abbott, The Monk, The Abbe and
The Harvester. The only Electioneer strains of note
today runs to the source through May King and
Conductor. May King could trot in 2 :20 and was not
even a good individual. In his case like that of Wil-
ham L. in the Wilkes tribe the family proved greater
than the individual. May King was mated with a
mare by Young Jim and got Bingen. He sired Uhlan,
the first trotter to beat two minutes in the open. He
also got a splendid group of stock horses. His sons
included Bingara, J. Malcolm Forbes, The Exponent,
Achille, Aquihn, Albingen, Binjolla, Border Knight,
Sir Roche, Senator Hale, and Todd, whose line was
perpetuated by his grandson Etawah.

The Dictator family had a boom after Jay Eye
See, Phallas and Director appeared. It was never
strong enough to make much of a splurge on account
of the size of the family. The Dictators, however, left
their imprint on the fast list through Director, sire
of the remarkable pair Directum and Direct. The
latter got Directum Kelly, the sire of Directum I.,
Directly and the unbeaten Direct Hal. He got Walter
Direct, sire of Napelon Direct. Directum contributed
Ethel's Pride and Consuella S. and one of his sons
got the good race mare Joan. The line is now rather
faint.

RACEALONG 109

NEW SPEEDPORT

By assembling the largest group of brood mares
ever seen on a farm devoted to the production of
light harness horses, W. M. Wright in 1929, placed
Calumet Farm in the front rank. In 1924 when he
purchased Fairland Farm and paid $50,000 for
Belwin few thought that this successful Chicago
business man would increase the product of his estab-
lishment to a point that had not been reached in
Kentucky since J. B. Haggen was breeding thorough-
breds. Still that is just what the breeder of Peter
Manning did at this new speedport.

With Dick McMahon as manager, Calumet Farm
with its white fences, red gates and red roofed build-
ings became one of the show places in Kentucky
while for brood mares the country was combed until
there were one hundred and seventy-nine on the
farm where Belwin 2:06%, Justice Brooke 2:08V2>
Peter the Brewer 2:021/9, Truax 2:031/2, and Guy
Abbey 2:06% were in the stud.

In recognition of the fact that the daughters of
Peter the Great led all other families in the matter
of speed production just as the founder of the tribe
topped all other sires in getting speed, thirty-five
mares by him were purchased. Of these twenty-
four had records. The leaders in this group were
Sienna 2:06% and her daughters Sumatra 2:02i4,
Hindustan 2:031/2, Station Belle 2:04%, and Corsica
2:09, all of which are by Belwin; Sweet Thoughts
2:1114 and Great Thoughts 2:19%, both of which

110 RACEALONG

trace to the dam of Nedda l:58l^; Petress Volo
2:27l^, sister of Peter Volo 2:02; Betty the Great
2:151/2) dam of The Deemster 2:09 and a lister to
the Kentucky Futurity winner Ethelinda 2:0214;
Miss Adioo, dam of Betterwin with a three-year-old
record of 2:01l^; Petrella 2:151/4 and her fillies
Sonya 2:081/2 and Julep 2:10, both of which are
sisters of Bronx 2:041/2; together with Jane the
Great 2:03i4, Guesswork 2:0214, May W. 2:06, and
Radio Dillon 2:081/2.

From the mares by sons of Peter the Great, Calu-
met Farm selected Margaret Chenault 2:031^; Joan
Mac 2:08, a sister of Burrowlite 2:06% and Joe Mac
2:08%, all of them being out of Joan 2:041/4; Edna
McKlyo, 2:06; Hollyrood Abigail 2:051/4; Marion
Scott 2:1014; Helen Scott 2:141/4; Elsie Scott 2:10;
and Highland Mary 2:26, the last two being sisters
of Rose Scott l:593^ and Highland Scott 1:591A.

Belwin was represented among the brood mares
by twenty-two daughters, nineteen of which have
records. His lot includes Charm 2:041/2 and her sis-
ter Calico, members of the Lady Bunker family;
Sumatra 2:02l^, Hindustan 2:031/2, Station Belle
2:04%, and Corsica 2:09 to which reference has
been made; Sonia 2:081/4 and Julep 2:10, sisters of
Bronx 2:04l^, Mary Kremlin 2:141/4, sister of Mer-
riman 2:00; Tennis 2:07%, and her dam Thrill-
worthy 2:141/4; Tootsie Trask 2:081/4; and Margo
2:093/4, sister of Labrador 2:021/4.

Axworthy and his three best sons Guy Axworthy,
Dillon Axworthy, and General Watts were well rep-

RACEALONG 111

resented. There were six mares by Axworthy, of
which the best known are Dilworthy and her filly
Dilcisco 2:061/2; Edna Saunders 2:231/4! Foulata,
dam of Margaret Chenault 2: 03 14; Margaret S.
2:261/4, the dam of Prince W. 2:05iA; Mary Worthy,
the dam of Colonel Bosworth 2 :023/4 ; Mendosa Wor-
thy 2:17iA, the dam of Leonard S. 2:071/2; Thrill-
worthy 2:141/4 and her filly Tennis 2:07%; and
Vesta Worthy 2:14, the dam of John Gallagher
2:041/9. From the Guy Axworthy family Ilo Guy
2:08%, and Berengaria 2:15 were selected.
General Watts contributed My Rosebud 2:051/4,
Lotto Watts 2:061/4 and four others. Dillon Ax-
worthy is represented by four among which were
Lillian Dillon 2:13, a sister of Margaret Dillon
1:581/4, and Keta Dillon 2:27%, and her sister Minia
Dillon 2:0214.

There were six mares by Justice Brooke, one of
them being Justissima 2:061/4, dam of Calumet
Adam 2:041/4; Jessie Belwin 2:061/4 and Just the
Guy 2:081/4; another Queen Brooke, sister of Alta
Donovan 2:061/4; and still another Rose Brooke
2:091/4, sister of Tilly Brooke 1:59. Etawah con-
tributed Etiquette 2:291/2, a descendant of Miss
Russell, dam of Maud S. 2:08%. Locanda was the
sire of Eva Locanda 2:26, dam of Peter Locanda
2:05%. San Francisco was the sire of Our Ruth
2:10, Dilcisco 2:06V2, Ruth Coleman 2:171/2, and
Dora Francis 2:201/?, sister of Sanardo 1:591/2.

From the brood mares at Hamburg Place, Mr.
Wright selected a number of the descendants of

112 RACE A LONG

Nancy Hanks 2:04 and the Leyburn and Fanny
Robinson families. From the last named he got
Betsey Bolivar 2:10i/2» sister of Periscope 2:03i/2»
and her fillies Faith and Ella, both of which were
by Kernel. The Leyburn tribe is represented by
Berengaria 2:15, Foster Child 2:12, The Firebird
2:111/4, and Guesswork. Tracing to the champion
Nancy Hanks 2:04, he has Bahai 2:10%, dam of
Saki 2:091/2 ; Nancy's Todd 2:22%, dam of Diplomat
2:05l^ and Hot Toddy 2:06i4; Scintillate 2:25, dam
of Catherine 2:051/4 ; and Light 0' Day, dam of Lap-
wing 2:10.

Almost all of the great brood mare families are
represented at Calumet Farm. Ethelwyn has eight
descendants, Jessie Pepper five, Maggie H., to which
Lee Axworthy 1:581/4 and Mr. McElwyn 1:59 14
trace, eight, Nancy Hanks seven, Waterwitch two,
Peggy Slender three, Nell four, including the two-
year-old champion. Silver Belle 2:04%; Minnehaha
three, Lark three, Lou Dillon 1:58V2 two. Lady
Bunker three, and the County House Mare two.

Nervolo Belle, the greatest producer of race
horses, was owned at Calumet Farm. Her leaders
are Peter Volo 2:02, The Great Volo 2:02%, and
Volga 2:041/4. The gray mare Zombrewer 2:04l^
was also there. She has been represented on the
turf by Peter the Brewer 2:021/2, Senator Brewer
2:05, Grey Brewer 2:051/?, John Pershing 2:09%,
and Marjorie the Great 2:091/2.

The first foals of Calumet Farm breeding were
dropped in 1926. There were only a small number

RACEALONG 113

on account of a number of the broc4 mares being
destroyed by fire. In 1928 they were represented on
the turf by Trusty Brewer 2:051A, the two-year-old
champion trotting gelding, and Betterwin 2:07. In
1929 this new speedport sent out Calumet Adam
2:04V2» the world's record for two-year-old pacers,
Betterwin with a three-year-old record of 2:01i4>
Peter Locanda 2:05%, Calumet Albert 2:10, Calu-
met Anette 2 :10V4» and a number of others that were
started in colt stakes.

CHANGES EXPENSIVE

A Httle change in the rigging of a horse prior
to or during a race usually results in a defeat or a
bad performance. In 1912 W. H. Knight declined an
offer of $10,000 for Fair Virginia the night before
the Kentucky Futurity was trotted. She was fast and
had perfect manners. The next morning Chandler
took Fair Virginia to the shop. He had her shoes
reset and put small calks on the hind ones. In the
first heat of the race Fair Virginia went away stilty.
She made a break, something that she never did
before, at the three quarter pole and was distanced.
In 1919 Murphy started Direct C. Burnett at North
Randall with one blind on his bridle. He acted like a
horse with a brain storm and delayed the start for
over an hour. After one heat he was drawn. The
money that was bet on him was lost. The next morn-
ing the blind was removed, Direct C. Burnett worked
perfectl}^ and won eleven races.

114 RACEALONG

GRAND CIRCUIT OF 1925

The fifty-second renewal of the Grand Circuit
opened at Cleveland June 29 and closed at Atlanta
October 10 after a run of fifteen weeks. During that
period there were eleven meetings at which three
hundred and twenty-one races were decided. The
purses amounted to $626,592.25, the most ever paid
out in one season since the circut was organized.
In 1924 the total was $572,620.95, in 1923 $570,-
896.75, and in 1922 $517,012.25.

The aged events in the 1925 circuit were domi-
nated by Murphy's stable. In the colt races the
honors were divided between the two and three-year-
olds trained by Will Dickerson, Ben White and
Walter Cox.

On the trip from Cleveland to Atlanta, Murphy
won fifty-nine races. His winnings amounted to
$98,305. These figures placed him at the top of the
column and also raised the amount of Murphy's
winnings on the trotting turf from 1909 to the close
of 1925 to $1,412,135.

The Belwin gelding Crawford was the leader in
the Murphy group. He started by winning two races
at Cleveland in July. This was followed by a defeat
at Toledo where Peter Fellows finished in front of
him after he won a heat.

During the next seven weeks Crawford won at
Kalamazoo, landed four dashes at Aurora, annexed
two more races at the Cleveland August meeting,
one race at Milwaukee and one at Indianapolis.

RACE ALONG

115

At Syracuse Crawford started favorite in the
$10,000 Empire State Purse. It was raced over the
cinder track and won by Bob Armstrong. The son
of Chestunt Peter also defeated Crawford in one
of his races at Columbus. He won the other two. He
was also awarded first place at Lexington in the
Walnut Hall Cup and Castleton Purse and closed the
season with a victory at Atlanta.

During the season Crawford was started in nine-
teen races. Of that number he won sixteen and
was second in the balance. He was the busiest horse
that ever made a trip down the line.

The following horses won three or more races in
the Grand Circuit in 1925:

Crawford 16

Ribbon Cane 14

Norman Grattan 10

Bonnie Watts 7

Hollyrood Leonard 7

Queen Volo 7

Anna Bradford's Girl ... 6

Clara Dillon 6

Dr. Strong-worthy 6

Skeeter W 6

Callie Direct 5

Ethelinda 5

Phil O'Neill 5

Favoriian 5

Peter Maltby 5

Single G 5

Sir Roche 5

Todd Hart 5

Gordon Dillon 4

Lulla Forbes 4

Thompson Dillon 4

Frank Worthy 4

Theodore Guy 4

Miss Czar Moko 4

Kentucky Todd, Jr 4

Aileen Guy 4

Braden Ruler 3

Guy Trogan 3

Grayworthy 3

Pete Green 3

Worthy Harvester 3

Winnie O'Wynn 3

Lilly the Great 3

Etta Druien 3

Tarzan Grattan 3

Margaret Dillon 3

Bob Seymour 3

Bob Armstrong 3

Cupid's Albingen 3

Temple Harvester 3

Jeanette Royal 3

Jean Grattan 3

Trumpet 4

Of the forty-three horses in the above list, Etta
Druien, Theodore Guy, Aileen Guy and ete Green

116 RACEALONG

are the only ones which appeared in it last year.
Grayworthy also had the unusual honor of return-
ing after a skip from 1921.

Murphy topped the list of Grand Circuit drivers
with fifty-nine races to his credit. Cox was second
with twenty-eight, and Childs third with twenty-
seven. Palin was fourth with nineteen and Dicker-
son fifth with sixteen. The latter also won twelve
races in the Orange County Circuit and two at the
Illinois State Fair with the Arden Homestead Stable
horses, making his score thirty for the season.

In the money winning column Murphy was again
in first place with $98,305 and Cox second with $73,-
437. The horses raced by Marvin Childs won $48,-
931.25, Ribbon Cane being the most successful. Will
Dickerson won $32,214.50 in the Grand Circuit,
$21,990 in the Orange County Circuit, and $2,000 at
the Illinois State Fair. This made a total of $56,-
204.50 and placed him third in the table of money
winning drivers in 1925.

Fred Egan's mount behind Thompson Dillon at
Toledo where he won the $25,000 trot jumped his
winnings in the Grand Circut in 1925 to $29,475.
Nat Ray gathered in $22,625.50, his largest item
being the $15,325 Tarzan Grattan won at Kalama-
zoo.

The Murphy winners in addition to Crawford
were Hollyrood Leonard, Trumpet, winner of the
$25,000 trot at Aurora, Queen Volo, Clara Dillon,
Dr. Strongworthy, Etta Druien, winner of the
Transylvania, Mac Silk, Pearl Benboe, Becky Beal,

R A C E A L 0 N G 117

Mag Abbe, Double Cross and Hot Toddy.

Cox won the Matron and Horseman Stakes with
Sam WilHams. He also won the $10,000 pace at
Milwaukee with Skeeter W. and rode his first mile
below two minutes behind Margaret Dillon when
he won with her in 1 :59% at Kalamazoo. The other
leaders in his stable were Ethelinda, Cupid's Albing-
en, Thompson Dillon, Tom Bradley, Grayworthy
and Star Ruth.

Marvin Childs made a remarkable showing with
Ribbon Cane. She won fourteen races. She also
w^on a heat from Tarzan Grattan in the $25,000
pace at Kalamazoo and a heat from Skeeter W. in
the $10,000 event at Milwaukee. Childs also won
with Worthy Harvester, Temple Harvester and Pat
Harvester, the first foal of the pacing queen Miss
Harris M., Bonnie Watts and Ramona Watts.

Palin had the mounts in nine of the ten races won
by Norman Grattan and Theodore Guy also won four
races for him after he was returned from the
Murphy stable. Palin's other winners were Silas J.
Patchen, Peter Mann, Southward, Braden Ruler and
the two-year-old colt Hazleton which he drove for
Cox at Atlanta.

Dickerson started the Arden Homestead Stable
at seven Grand Circuit meetings. At them he won
six races with Anna Bradford's Girl, five with the
two-year-old colt Peter Maltby, three with Guy Tro-
gan and two with Guy Ozark. On a' side trip to
Springfield, 111., he won with Anna Bradford's Girl
and Guy Trogan, while in the Orange County Circuit

118 RACEALONG

he won four races with Guy Ozark, three with Anna
Bradford's Girl, three with Peter Maltby, and two
with Guy Trogan.

Of the thirteen races won in the Grand Circuit
by Vic Fleming, four stand to the credit of Kentucky
Todd, Jr. Jean Grattan and Jeanette Royal each
won three for him. He also scored with Myrtle
Baxter, Doctor B. and the two-year-old filly Charm
which he drove for Ben White at Kalamazoo.

Callie Direct and Frank Worthy were the busiest
members of Fred Egan's stable and Phil O'Neill
won five of the ten races awarded Crozier. Of the
others three were won by Miss Czar Moko and one
each by Frank Manager and Peter Coley.

Four of the nine races landed by Ben White on
the mile tracks were won by Aileen Guy. They were
worth while as they carried the amounts set aside
for the National Stallion Stake as well as the Re-
view, Breeders' and Kentucky Futurities. White also
won the Rainy Day stake with Stallion Belle and
the Consolation with Wire Worthy.

Tarzan Grattan and Red Top were Nat Ray's
most conspicuous winners. The first named won the
$25,000 pace at Kalamazoo and Red Top reduced the
mile and a half record to 3:141/2 when he won at
Toledo. The three-year-old gelding Gordon Dillon
and Peter Fellows were the fastest trotters in Walter
Garrison's stable. Both of them won in 2:04%.

Favonian won five races for Edman. Todd Hart
also landed the same number for Putnam at the
Grand Ciriuit meetings before he mowed down the

RACEALONG 119

field in the Walnut Hall Cup at Lexington. John
Thomas won with Lulla Forbes and Polly Peachtree
before starting for a trip over the southern tracks.

Henry Thomas won with Delphia Watts, Hal Acme
and Hollyrood Volo at Aurora. He followed this
showing by a whirl over the western tracks where
he won sixteen races before he appeared at Lexing-
ton. At that point he landed the first race at the
meeting with Senator Frisco.

Sir Roche won five races in the circuit for Loomis.
His best showing was at Milwaukee where he de-
feated Margaret Dillon in 2:001/2- John L. Dodge
scored four firsts with Hollyrood Abigail and Holly-
rood Susan. The last start made by Susan was in
the May Day Stake which she won over a heavy
track in 2:lll^.

TWO BRIGHT ONES

Barton Pardee, the owner of Lu Princeton, 2:01,
and Mabel Trask, 2:01%, always enjoyed seeing
everybody's horses in good form as well as his own.
At the same time, he added many a bright spot to a
wet day by his subtle wit. One day when a few of the
ultra wise were weaving turf honors for 1920, he
said "I would give a few dollars for a peek into next
season's Year Book about the first of June." This was
a shade better than "Tombstone" Kelly's come back
at Abe Dysher when the latter said that the Irish
were no good and Kelly replied ''I admit it if they are
not developed."

120 RACEALONG

HIDDEN HORSES

The history of the turf presents the names of a
few horses that disappeared without the public ever
knowing what became of them while others faded for
a time and returned after their racing days were
over.

The pacing mare Choral by C. F. Clay is included
among the lost ones. She made a record of 2:061/2 ^^
1900. At that time she was owned by the Penn Val-
ley Farm at Morrisville, Pa. Early in the following
winter a number of the Penn Valley Farm horses in-
cluding Choral were shipped to Wellsville, N. Y.

During the legal complications that followed the
transfer of the horses Jack Kinney, who had charge
of the farm, was locked up in Buffalo for a brief
period. Finally the proceedings were dropped.

In 1901 a mare named Ononda Maid started at the
summer meetings at Syracuse, N. Y., and Nashua,
N. H., and made a record of 2:161/4- She was rep-
resented as being by Stillman and was said to have
been bred by a man named Jones in Wellsville, N. Y.
No questions were raised in regard to her identity
until the week of the meeting at Worcester, Mass.
At that time B. T. Birney dropped into town with
the horses of W. B. Dickerman from Mamaroneck,
N. Y. One morning when Ononda Maid was being
jogged Birney spotted her as Choral. In a few hours
the mare disappeared and was never seen again ex-
cept in a slow race at Bath, N. Y., later in the season.

When the matter was investigated Birney stood

RACEALONG 121

by his statement until the trial day. He then modi-
fied it so as to carry a doubt as to the identification
of Ononda Maid as Choral. The papers in the case
were filed away for future developments. These were
few and very vague. It was alleged the mare was
bred to Direct Hal which was then owned at Wells-
ville but the foals, if she ever had any, never ap-
peared on the turf or were offered for registration.

Senator Bailey also offered $5,000 for Choral to
use as a brood mare. No one produced her.

In 1894 John W. Tilden of Vancouver, Washing-
ton, came over the mountains with the three-year-
old gray filly Ella T. by Altamont. She was raced
on the mid western tracks, at times starting twice
a week against foals of her age or in class races.
Ella T. made a record of 2:12 at Galesburg, 111., the
day Alix reduced the world's record for trotters to
2:0334.

As a four-year-old Ella T. cut this mark to 2:09
the day she defeated a field of thirteen at Lexing-
ton. In 1896 Tilden located at Red Oak, Iowa, where
Morris Jones had Alix and Pactolus. He gave Ella
T. a mark of 2:08^4 at that place.

Finally in 1900 he bred Ella T. to Pactolus. Later
in the season he consigned her to the Chicago sale
without making any reference to it in the catalogue.

At that time a man named Glynn in Clinton, Mass.,
became imbued with the idea of having a white rac-
ing stable. He purchased half a dozen gray horses,
painted his sulkies white, selected white harness
and blankets and white colors for his driver.

122 RACEALONG

All of the horses went wrong except one called
Maggie B. She made her first start at Holyoke,
Mass., and finished third to Dewey H. Her next
appearance was at Concord, N. H., where she was
unplaced. After this race she dropped a dead foal.

Maggie B. made three other starts that season.
She won at Athol in 2:22^4 and Westfield in 2:19iA.
She also won two heats in a race at Brockton. After
that race Maggie B. and the white stable disap-
peared.

The inevitable leak followed. Before it did Maggie
B. was bred to Alcander and hid away on a farm
near Middlebury, Vt. At that point she was located
and identified as Ella T.

When the man in charge of the mare learned he
had Ella T., he said that her owner would never see
the Alcander colt if she remained on his place. The
Clinton man did not trust him. He sent for the mare
a few weeks before- the colt was due. Two days after
Ella T. arrived at Clinton the barn in which she was
kept was destroyed by fire. Ella T. went with it.

In 1867, the year Dexter reduced the world's rec-
ord for trotters to 2:171/4-, Oliver Crooks, who lived
on Long Island near Newtown Creek, had a yearling
colt by Hambletonian out of a mare by One Eyed
Kentucky Hunter. He was a promising youngster
but before he could be developed, litigation tied up
the Crooks estate. The Hambletonian colt disap-
peared. Subsequently it was learned that he was hid
in a dark stable and went blind. That was all that
was heard of him until the early eighties when a

RACEALONG 123

few Canadian bred trotters began to appear on the
American tracks. One of them was Fides. Their sire
was given as General Stanton. On looking him up it
was found that he was Crooks colt by Hambletonian.

How General Stanton got from Long Island to
Thorald, Ont., which is only a few miles over the
Canadian border, no one ever knew, or if they did
they said nothing about it. In his new home the
blind horse was in charge of John Batten and re-
mained there until he died in 1889.

Prior in his History of the English Racing Calen-
dar and Stud Book tells of a hidden horse that passed
into the register as the CofRn Mare. She was owned
by Oliver Cromwell, the Protector who ruled Eng-
land after Charles I. was beheaded. Place, his stud-
master, stole the mare and hid her in a cellar in
Fenchurch Street until he could smuggle her out of
London. It was on account of this that she was given
the singular name.

BILLY BAREFOOT

In 1857 John Curtin disposed of his business in
Angelica, N. Y. and turned his face towards the
setting sun. With a drove of horses, and their equip-
ment, he aimed at Chicago and hit Decorah. He went
there to sell but remained to buy and grow up with
the country. The star of Iowa had been shining for
eleven years in the group on Old Glory when he
crossed the Mississippi River and while the red
skinned chiefs no longer smoked their pipes on the
clay hills near Council Bluffs, the ink on the Indian

124 RACEALONG

bill of sale to President Pierce for the site of Omaha
across the Missouri was scarcely dry.

In the early days Curtin dabbled in Indian ponies,
light drivers, and Morgans, there being a strain of
Vermont blood somewhere although at times it was
rather hard to find. Those were also the days when
trainers had to sit up by candlelight trying to devise
contrivances that would make a speedy horse go on
a trot, and when owners were forced to lay awake
nights, planning ways and means to pay the bills,
until a stranger came looking for a prospect. In the
early seventies if a horse took a hop, skip and a
jump occasionally, nothing was said, so long as he
kept on a trot part of the way, even if it was of the
dot and carry one variety but it required more than
hand picked judges to convince a buyer that he could
win with a wild eyed one that persisted in running at
least a quarter of a mile in each heat.

John Curtin was well aware of this fact when a.
farmer named Barefoot drove into Decorah early in
1872 with a horse that he considered a prospect. He
looked him over and found the prize package was a
close made, six-year-old, black gelding of the Morgan
type, and also a true bred one, as he was by King
Herod out of a mare by Young Green Mountain
Morgan. His owner called him Billy and for a green
one fresh from the fields he certainly could trot fast.
Curtin bought the gelding and as he led him away he
told his former owner that he would call him Billy
Barefoot if he was ever fast enough to go to the
races.

RACEALONG 125

That fall when the fairs started the new trotter
was turned loose and before the close of 1873 every-
one in the western world, or at least that portion of
it between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, knew
that John Curtin had a trotter which could win in
almost any company in that locality. As the news
spread it landed among the white tops of the Bailey,
Cooper and Hutchinson circus which was making a
trip across the state. Both Bailey, who afterwards
owned and raced J. B. Thomas, Tony Newell, and the
beautiful mare Florence, and Cooper decided to pur-
chase the Iowa trotter. Cooper secured the prize the
deal being closed after banking hours and as in those
days it was customary for a circus to pay for every-
thing in cash. Cooper went to the ticket wagon, drew
$5,000 and exchanged it for the black trotter. John
Curtin went home to supper with the bundle of bills
under his arm and throwing it on the table said:
'That is a pretty fair price for one horse to bring."

Cooper took Billy Barefoot to Philadelphia, where
he was raced for the next ten years and closed his
career with a record of 2:281/2 made over Belmont
Park in 1878 in a race that Mike Goodin won with
Lady Crossin. In his day Billy Barefoot was started
in forty-seven reported races of which he won
eighteen, was second in fourteen, third in seven and
fourth in two. He defeated such old timers as Modoc,
George A. Ayers, Sorrel Tom, Snow Flake, Gray
Chief, Lew Ives and Clothesline, a trotter that broke
Frank Hedric and Lem Ulman three or four times.

126 RACEALONG

STRIPLIN, THE FAIRMAKER

Corinth, Mississippi, was R. M. Striplings starting-
point in fair work. His first billet was with the Al-
corn County Fair, in northern Mississippi. After
being responsible for a couple of them he saw, while
racing his pacer Jerry H. at other towns, that if he
remained in the fair business and put on an exhibi-
tion worth while, it would be necessary to locate in
a larger town, where the grounds had modern equip-
ment. After looking over the field he selected
Meridian, and soon convinced the public-spirited
citizens that an agricultural and industrial fair would
do the farming interests of Mississippi and Alabama
a world of good, not only by introducing new ideas,
but also by showing the people all of the labor sav-
ing devices connected with work on the farm.

The Meridian fair, or as it was named the Missis-
sippi and Alabama Exposition, was a success from
the start. Hundreds of its patrons who had been plod-
ding along year after year with ''before the war"
methods, went home convinced that the time had
come for them to adopt modern equipment on the
plantation or farm patch. They also saw that their
bank balances would be benefited, by improving the
quality of their cattle and hogs, and at the same
time display the tassels of corn in the cotton coun-
try. At this period the Hon. James Wilson, for twen-
ty years Secretary of the Department of Agriculture,
was pushing the corn club idea in the south. Striplin,
taking advantage of this propoganda, made it a
point to emphasize the fact that the time had come

RACEALONG 127

for the southern farmer to grow something that he
could eat as well as wear, and at the same time have
something that he could sell for cash at any time
even if there was a bad crop of cotton or a glut in
the market.

Striplin continued his work at Meridian until 1914,
when the live wires back of the spirit of Atlanta
decided that the gate city of the south should have
a fair that was up to the standard of the new south
described by Henry Grady. Everyone dropped into
line with the movement from the school boys to gray
haired men, who saw the city grow from the village
of Marthaville which Ivy founded in 1838, and also
raise from the ashes left by Sherman.

Selecting grounds which afterwards became part
of the park system of Atlanta, except when being
used for fair purposes, they planned an exposition
which rivals any on the continent, while the mam-
moth stucco exhibition buildings, each with a touch
of Spanish architecture, blend harmoniously with
their woodland surroundings. A mile race track was
built around the edge of an abandoned reservoir, in
which there is sufficient water for boating and other
aquatic features.

R. M. Striplin was selected to supervise this work,
and plan a fair in keeping with the surroundings.
Opening in 1915 with a cotton and stock show he
followed it in 1916 with a fair that was complete in
every department. When the gates were thrown
open in the middle of October the stockmen of
Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama had an oppor-

128 RACEALONG

tunity to see practically all of the Hereford and
Shorthorn show herds in the middle west as well as
every variety of sheep, hogs and poultry. They also
had ample time to compare the exhibits with what
they had been purchasing and producing.

This is the true mission of the fair. It teaches by
example. The average man who stands by the show
ring and sees the ribbons awarded or examines the
stock in the buildings does not as a rule compare
them with those they have defeated but with what he
or his neighbors have at home. The comparison
creates a disposition to improve. This feeling of un-
rest spread over Georgia and adjoining states for
several years. The stockman favored by nature took
up swine breeding to such an extent that Georgia
rivaled Iowa in the production of pork and its by-
products, while the cattlemen came into their own in
the production of beef. This change can be traced to
the fairs. Striplin continued at the wheel of the
Atlanta fair until he died in 1926.

CHESTNUT PETER

In 1907 when Trampfast won the two-year-old
division of the Kentucky Futurity and reduced the
race record for foals of that age to 2:1214, the
chestnut filly Dorothy Axworthy was only beaten a
head. It was the last appearance of the pair. Tramp-
fast was retired to the stud in Illinois while Dorothy
Axworthy passed into the brood mare ranks with a
record of 2:2114.

RACEALONG 129

Dorothy Axworthy was bred by General B. F.
Tracy, who was Secretary of the Navy under Presi-
dent Harrison. As her name implies, she was by
Axworthy, out of Dorothy T. by Advertiser, a grand-
son of the old race mare Lula, 2:15, and out of
Hannah Price, the dam of Lesa Wilkes, 2:09.

In due time Dorothy Axworthy became the
property of A. B. Coxe. He bred her to Peter the
Great in 1913 and 1914. In 1914 she produced
Worthy Peter and in 1915 Chestnut Peter. As a
three-year-old Worthy Peter made a record of
2:091/4, and in his four-year-old form Berry won
eight out of nine starts with him. Chestnut Peter
was given a time record of 2:12 as a two-year-old
while in 1918 he made eight starts in the Grand
Circuit and was retired after pulling up lame at
Readville with five firsts, two seconds and a third
to his credit.

Chestnut Peter made his first start in July at
North Randall, where he finished second to Hollyrood
Bob in 2:04%, the fastest heat trotted by a three-
year-old in 1918. After that meeting Chestnut Peter
won in 2:1114 from Peter Vonia at Kalamazoo,
where he was purchased by C. W. Leonard of Boston
for $25,000, at Toledo in 2:0714 from Hollyrood
Naomi, and at Columbus in 2:0514,, his record, from
The Divorcee, Selka, and Peter Vonia. This colt also
won the Champion Stallion Stake at the North
Randall August meeting in 2:05%, and followed it
by another victory at Philadelphia where he defeated
The Divorcee and The Cossack. The Divorcee

130 RACEALONG

balanced her account with Chestnut Peter, the fol-
lowing week at Poughkeepsie, where she defeated
him after he won a heaf in 2:05%. Her stable com-
panion Nella Dillon defeated him in a futurity at
Readville, where he pulled up second after equalling
his record of 2:0514.

In 1919 Charles W. Leonard placed Chestnut Peter
in the stud in Kentucky. He remained there until
1925 when the Beaumont Farm trotters were sold.
Dr. Ogden M. Edwards purchased him for Walnut
Hall Farm. At that time his reputation as a sire
had been started by Hollyrood Leonard 2:02% the
winner of the Matron Stake in 1923. Since that time
Peter Cowl 2:02 the winner of the $25,000 trot at
Toledo in 1929 and Bob Armstrong 2:03% were
added to his list of fast performers.

LARRY JEROME

Everybody in the light harness racing world either
met or heard of Frank Ellis of Philadelphia. For
fifty years he was a conspicuous figure among the
leaders of shooting, fishing and racing, his tilt in the
third group being towards the trotters.

In 1873 Frank Ellis made his first appearance as
a winning owner with Nettie 2:18 the fastest daugh-
ter of Hambletonian. Turner raced her for five years.
From that date until he died in 1925 Frank Ellis
kept up with the procession, his last representatives
being Lee Worthy and Aileen Guy. He was a member
of the Pastime Stable when it raced Abbie Putney

R A C E A L 0 N G 131

2:061/2, Mary Coburn 2:071/4, Volga 2:0414 and the
champion stalhon Lee Axworthy 1:581/4.

Few sportsmen had a greater fund of reminis-
censes than Frank Elhs. One day he referred to
Larry Jerome a well known figure in New York when
the four in hands were seen at all of the race tracks.

"Larry Jerome was one of three brothers that
went to New York City from Rochester. Their father
had a stage line in the northern part of the state
where Larry, Leonard and Tom learned to drive a
four in hand before they were old enough to leave
school. Leonard became a man of affairs in the busi-
ness and racing world. His name was given to Jerome
Park. He had three daughters, one of them mar-
ried Lord Randolph Churchill. Larry married and
was the father of three sons. Fortune chased him
up hill and down but he never worried."

''For years Larry was the companion of James Gor-
don Bennett owner of the New York Herald and was
on his boat in the race across the Atlantic. Before
sailing Larry purchased a Wild West outfit. It was
not so well know in those days as since Buffalo Bill's
cowboys carried them all over the world. He selected
a pair of long boots with spurs that would make a
Mexican vaquero look green with envy, buckskin
trousers, flannel shirt, and a hat with a rim large
enough to make a race track for a colony of ants."

''The news of the ocean race soon carried with it
the names of all who were on the boats so that it
was not long before , JL-arry Jerome, the uncle of
Lady Churchill, was the talk of London."

132 RACEALONG

"Shortly after Larry was located in London, he
dolled up one morning in his western outfit and set
out to call on his niece. By the time that he arrived
at the Churchill residence, half of the boys in the
neighborhood were tagging along behind, while the
bobbys blinked. Such a make up had not been seen
in London since the days of Julius Caesar."

''When Larry arrived at the Churchill residence,
he bounded up the steps and gave the door bell such
a yank that the house servants thought it was a
fire alarm. A flunky, in silk stockings and brass
buttons, opened the door. When he got a glimpse of
a six foot and a half man in a make up that he had
never seen outside of a picture book, his eyes almost
popped out of his head. Larry did not give him time
to recover before he tapped him on the shoulder and
said, 'Son, I want to see Mrs. Churchill.' By that
time the doorman caught his breath. His face froze
into the old lines and he succeeded in telling Larry
that the tradesmen's door was in the rear of the
house.

" 'Tradesman, my eye,' said Larry. 'I want to see
Mrs. Churchill and be quick about it.'

"At the time Lady Churchill was coming down
the stairs. When she heard the voice, she rushed
through the vestibule on to the front step and with
a laugh said, 'It is Uncle Larry'. But when she fol-
lowed it up by clasping her arms around his neck
and kissing him, the flunky collapsed muttering as he
fell, 'My stars, the Indians will come next'.

"The incident ran the gauntlet of the clubs and

RACEALONG 133

fashionable assemblies for weeks. A few clever folk,
when they heard of it, decided that they would give
Larry a try out, so one evening at a dinner, one of
them asked him what he did for a living. Turning
towards the impudent fop who was busy twisting
a monocle into place, Larry with a smile replied: 'I
keep a livery stable in Venice.'

" 'Why, my dear sir, there are no paved streets in
Venice. Where do your patrons drive the horses V

" 'On the ice in winter,' said Larry, while the
table roared and the cad beat a hasty retreat.

''Nothing in the world bothered Larry Jerome. He
was in Paris on Black Friday. What he had went with
the holdings of hundreds of others. When advised
that his name was included in the list that failed, he
picked a cigar out of a friend's pocket, lit it and
said: 'It is just as pleasant to go broke in Paris as
New York.'

"Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania delighted in
having Larry Jerome in his company. In the spring
of 1886 he invited him and a few others including
myself, to go with him in his car to see the Kentucky
Derby. Lewis Clark, the President of the Louisville
Jockey Club, met us at the depot with a four in hand
and Larry, without a moment's hesitation, mounted
the box and drove the party to the Pendennis Club.
No one ever saw a better exhibition of horsemanship
than what he put up that morning or when after
Idnch he tooled the coach to Churchill Downs.

"Before leaving us to attend to his other duties.
President Clark placed our party in a box. It was

134 RACEALONG

located near the one occupied by J. B. Haggin, the
owner of Ben AH who with Blue Wing was considered
the two most formidable competitors in the race. He
also gave us a little information about the horses
and said that he thought that the Virgil colt would
win.

"Calling a messenger I requested him to go to the
betting ring and get me the odds on Ben Ali. He re-
turned with the information that they were three
and a half to one. Larry heard him and offered to
place my money. I gave him $300, and that was the
last I saw of him until after the race.

"When the flag dropped for the Derby, the field
ran in a bunch until within a couple of furlongs of
the finish. At that point Blue Wing and Ben Ali
slipped out in front and ran on even terms for several
strides. As they approached the stand, Ben All's head
showed in front and it remained there to the finish.
In a few minutes I learned that Haggin won $72,000
on the race. My ticket also won but Larry kept it. I
never asked him for it and it was the nicest present
I ever had an opportunity to make to anyone.

"For some reason Larry Jerome did not take to
southern people. He always said that they had big
feet and that was ^hat kept them erect. One winter
we were fishing at New Smyrna, Florida. All of the
guests at the hotel were from the south except Larry
and myself. He would not mix with them, while his
big feet idea was always on tap.

"One rainy afternoon when all of us were sitting
on the porch, Larry turned to me and said: Trank,

RACEALONG 13

o

did you ever know that I was a soldier in the war?"

"Of course I said *No' in order to let him run along
a little and brighten up matters.

" 'Well, I was/ he replied. *I enlisted shortly after
the Baltimore mobs began attacking the troops when
they were marching across the city to take the trains
to Washington. Before leaving New York, I decided
that I would crush a little of the rebel spirit in that
city if any of them bothered my company. In order
to be prepared, I ordered a sword six feet long and
four inches wide. Some of the officers tittered when
they saw the weapon and offered to detail a couple
of men to carry it.

" 'When the company detrained at Baltimore the
crowd was there as usual and before long a few
stones and bricks dropped into the ranks. I did not
do anything until I got well out in front. Pulling the
sword out of the scabbard I gave it a couple of whirls
over my head,' rising to his full height as he said
it, 'and with a sweep cut off the heads of eight of
them.'

*'A11 of the company except myself was horrified
at the statement while Larry sat down and in a
loud whisper said to me 'And would you believe it,
Frank, their feet were so big that none of them
fell over for half an hour.'

"The southern people walked into the hotel in
disgust but their turn was coming. For several days
Larry had been bothering me by picking a special
brand of cigars that I had* out of my vest pocket. I
knew he did not want the cigars and was only doing

136 RACEALONG

it to annoy me and see if I would not pull up and
go to a more congenial resort. Instead of doing that,
however, I decided to give him a jar.

"Before leaving Philadelphia, Frank Herdic gave
me a package of small Chinese firecrackers. I threw
them into a trunk when packing my kit and after
thinking it over I decided to let Larry have one of
them. Getting a few cigars at the hotel office, I
loaded two and put them in my vest pocket with a
good one. Larry with a smile helped himself as usual
and sat down in a chair in front of a big window. I
offered him a match and waited for the blow.

'The cigar either burned slowly or the insert was
deeper than I supposed as it seemed a quarter of an
hour before it came. When it did, Larry plunged
backward through the window and landed inside
the room. All of the other guests followed his two
hundred and odd pounds with a wave of laughter
while during the balance of the trip he did not take
any more of my cigars, not even when I offered
them.''

**Larry Jerome was a clever fisherman and one
summer when a few of us were at Saratoga, Car-
mack and I decided to go with him and catch a few
bass at a lake in the mountains. In order to make the
trip, we had to lay over for a few hours at a junc-
tion where there was a small hotel. There was no
way to put in the time except by sitting on the porch.
While we were occupying the chairs, about a dozen
small boys lined up looking at us. They made Car-
mack nervous. He wanted to chase them away but

RACEALONG 137

Larry said, 'Wait a minute, I will shoo them.'

'Turning towards the largest boy whose outfit
consisted of a badly frayed straw hat, ragged shirt,
patched pantaloons kept in place by one suspender,
and a rag tied around one of his big toes, he said:

'Son what is your name?'

"The lad replied, 'WilHe.'

'"Willie what?' said Larry.

" 'Small,' said the boy as he fidgeted from one foot
to the other and jammed his hands into his pocket
with so much force that I was positive the suspender
would break or the big white button to which it was
fastened would fly into the air.

"Stooping towards him, Larry stuck out his thick
lips and said: 'Come and kiss me, Willie?'

"Willie and the group looked at him for an instant
and fled to the other side of the street. When another
boy came along we heard him say, 'That big ox on
the stoop wanted me to kiss him.' "

GRAND CIRCUIT OF 1927

The fifty-fourth renewal of the Grand Circuit
closed at Atlanta October 8 after eleven weeks rac-
ing during which there were nine meetings. The
series started at Toledo and moved from that point
to Detroit, Kalamazoo, Cleveland, Goshen, Syra-
cuse, Indianapolis, Lexington, and Atlanta. For the
first time there were two open weeks in the circuit.
These gaps were caused by Columbus dropping out
and Cleveland giving but one meeting.

138 RACEALONG

Syracuse drew a wet week. All of the racing ex-
cept one day was over the cinder track. The time
made over the loose footing was remarkable. Sir
Roche paced in 2:00l^ and Etta Druien trotted in
2:03.

There were one hundred and eighty-six races de-
cided during the trip. Of that number fifty-five were
won by horses that traced to Walnut Hall Farm.

Guy Axworthy led in the number of winners,
races won, and amount of winnings. losola's Worthy
was the most fortunate. She won the second re-
newal of the Hambletonian Stake in which $34,-
836.10 was handed to her owner. She also landed the
Review, Horseman and Kentucky Futurities as well
as the three-year-old race at Atlanta. Her winnings
amounted to $56,697.95. The other leaders in the
Guy Axworthy group included Fullworthy, with
which Murphy won six races; Guy Watts, Fine Girl
and High Noon, each with three to their credit : Guy
Ozark, the winner of the fast classes at Lexington
and Atlanta where he trotted the last half of two
heats in 59 seconds; Bugle Call, a double event
winner at Syracuse; San Guy, Nescopec, Otzinach-
son, Aileen Guy, True Guy and Red Aubrey, each
of which earned brackets.

Thirteen trotters by Guy Axworthy won thirty
races at Grand Circuit meetings in 1927. In the
matter of records losola's Worthy won in 2:03%,
Aileen Guy in 2:03l^, Guy Ozark in 2:03, Full Wor-
thy in 2:04. When Red Aubrey won at Atlanta in
2:081/2 he was the twentieth performer added to

RACEALONG 139

Guy Axworthy's 2:10 list in 1927.

Peter Volo, also located at Walnut Hall Farm,
stood in second place. Ten of his get won seventeen
races in the 1927 Grand Circuit. Hollyrood Volo won
three and paced in 2:01V2 at Lexington. The three-
year-old gelding Volo Rico also won three and paced
in 2:05. Of the others Hollyrood Colin, Sigrid Volo
and Brook Volo each won two races while Mr.
Hanna, Bennett Volo, Hollyrood Highboy and Ace
High each scored once.

Peter Scott stood third with sixteen races won by
three trotters. Sam Williams was his leader. He
won nine out of ten starts and made a record of
2:021/4. Clara Bascom won four races and the two-
year-old colt Scotland three with the Breeders' Fu-
turity which was raced at Cleveland during the
open week included.

Five members of the Belwin family won ten races.
Of the lot Kashmir was the best. She trotted in
2:031/2 in the Champion StalHon Stake and won four
of the big three-year-old events before lameness
put her out of the money at Indianapolis and Lex-
ington. Belwin also scored on the larger ovals with
Bennett, Riley, Hollyrood Jessie and the two-year-
old pacing filly Belvolo.

Lu Princeton had a brilliant representative^ in
Hazleton. He won nine out of eleven races and trot-
ted his last heat at Atlanta in 2:01%. Lu Trask, an-
other member of the family won at Indianapolis.

San Francisco and Grattan Royal each had four
representatives which won eight races. Fire Glow

140 RACEALONG

was San Francisco's best. He won at Goshen in
2:08%, at Syracuse over the cinders in 2:10, and
at Lexington in 2:051/2 ^^^ 2:04. In the heat in
which Fire Glow made his record, Spencer raced
on the outside of Scotland to the quarter in 291/2
seconds, the fastest time ever made by a trotter in
a race on that strip of dirt. The pair passed the half
in 1:011/4 with Scotland in front and Fire Glow
trailing. Spencer faltered before the three-quarter
pole was passed in 1:331/4. Scotland continued to
make the pace until near the distance when Cox
took Fire Glow out and won by two lengths in 2:04.
San Francisco's other battlers on the mile tracks
in 1927 were Victor Frisco, a winner in 2:03% at
Toledo, Frisco's Star and Tippie Frisco.

Prue Grattan and Tarzan Grattan, both winners
of the $25,000 pace at Kalamazoo, were double event
winners on the mile tracks in 1927. Tarzan Grat-
tan paced the last heat at the Atlanta meeting in
2:02%. Prue Grattan won in 2:031/4 at Detroit and
Kalamazoo. Norman Grattan won in 2:04% over
the cinders at Syracuse and Widow Grattan had
three first monies to her credit before starting on
a trip to the Pennsylvania fairs.

Fred Egan, who developed and raced Braden
Direct, came back with Louis Direct, the fastest of
his sire's get. This horse won eight races on the
mile tracks. At Lexington he paced in 2:021/2.

The name of Peter the Great still appeared in the
summaries on both the mile and half-mile tracks.
Twenty-eight of his get won races in 1927. Of the

RACEALONG 141

lot three scored on the mile tracks, one of them
being Guesswork. She won the $10,000 event at
Syracuse in 2:0214.. Peter the Great's other win-
ners on the larger ovals were Lullawat and Peter
Elliott.

Etta Druien and Peter Etawah kept the name of
Etawah before the public. Peter Etewah landed the
$20,000 pace at Toledo after Berry the Great and
Hollyrood Volo were killed off in the preliminary
heats. Etta Druien also trotted in 2:021/2 at Toledo,
a mark that was cut to 2:02i4 by Sam Williams
and beaten by Hazleton at Atlanta in 2:01%, mak-
ing the Grand Circuit race record for 1927.

Last year Ruth M. Chenault won for Coldstream
Farm. This year Signal Peter was kept in the lime-
light by Nellie Signal. She won the two-year-old
event at Toledo in 2:071/4. Signal Flash, a three-
year-old by him, also scored at Syracuse in 2:06%.

Lee Tide and Great Britton, two young sires, each
had a splendid representative. The son of Lee Ax-
worthy started off with Spencer in the two-year-old
events. He won at Detroit in 2:081/4, Kalamazoo in
2:0714, Cleveland in 2:05i4, Goshen in 2:0734,
Indianapolis in 2:07 and was in the thick of the fight
in the two-year-old fixtures at Lexington.

The three-year-old pacer Hollyrood Jacquelin
carried Great Britton into the racing calendar. She
won at Kalamazoo in 2:0614, at Syracuse in 2:061/4,
at Indianapolis in 2:03%, and at Lexington in
2:04%.

During the trip Murphy won thirty-one races and

142 RACEALONG

Cox twenty-five, while his assistant Harry Stokes
added eleven more to the stable over the mile tracks.
Fred Egan won thirteen at the Grand Circuit meet-
ings. Ben White with a stable full of colts won but
three races. He picked up two with Kashmir and
one with Aileen Guy.

As White was booked to drive Ruth M. Chenault
he passed losola's Worthy to Childs. She made him
the leading money winning driver in 1927. Tom
Berry won with this filly at Indianapolis when Childs
was on the sick hst. Murphy also won with Kashmir
and Red Aubrey from the White outfit.

Ben White had so many fast three-year-olds it
looked for a time as if the futurities were being given
for the benefit of colts developed and trained by him.
In the Hambletonian Stake losola's Worthy, Benel-
wyn and Gray Brewer, the winners of first, third,
and fourth money, were from the White stable. He
drove Kashmir. She finished seventh. In the Re-
view Purse at Goshen four of the first five were
trained by White while three monies in the
Champion Stallion Stake at Cleveland went to the
same stable. It started Kashmir, losola's Worthy
and Gray Brewer.

RACEALONG 143

TROTTING TEAMS

A wagon race for trotting teams proved one of
the most attractive features on the programme for
the Grand Circuit Meeting at Syracuse, N. Y., in
1917. In the first heat Woodlawn Girl and Helen
Audubon reduced the world's race record for trotting
teams to 2:12% while on the next trip Roy Miller
and Lucy Van won by a head in 2:101/4. The old
record was 2:151/4. It was made at Columbus, Ohio,
in 1894, by Roseleaf and Sally Simmons when they
defeated Azote and Answer.

In the "good old days" team racing was very
popular in the vicinity of New York and Boston
when Jessie Wales with Darkness or Honest Allen
as mate trotted many splendid races with celebrated
teams. The fast pairs drifted from the tracks to the
road. In a short time the rivalry between them
became very keen especially in New York where W.
H. Vanderbilt maintained the lead for a number of
years. In 1877 his pair Small Hopes and Lady Mac
placed the world's record at 2:23. When John
Shepard of Boston cut it to 2:22 with Mill Boy
and Blondine, another Vanderbilt pair, William H.
and Lysander Boy, brought the honors back to New
York with a mile in 2:20. At this point Frank Work
started out with Edward and Dick Swiviller. They
trotted in 2:161/2. These figures were afterward
beaten twice by pairs owned by W. H. Vanderbilt.
Early Rose and Aldine led off with a mile over
Charter Oak Park in 2:161/4 and were followed by

144 RACEALONG

one of the greatest amateur performances ever
placed on record when W. H. Vanderbilt drove Maud
S. and Aldine to a top wagon over Fleetwood Park

in 2:151/2.

C. J. Hamlin of Buffalo, N. Y., was the next
aspirant for leadership in team trotting. He had a
number of splendid pairs and made world's records
with Belle Hamlin and Justina when they trotted
in 2:13 and with Belle Hamlin and Honest George
when they trotted in 2:1214. The last mile was made
in 1892. In 1904 C. K. G. BiUings reduced it to 2:07%
with The Monk and Equity, an amateur performance
that was equalled at Lexington, Ky., the next
October by J. D. Gallery with Lettie Lee and
Brighton B. Both of them, however, are a long way
from the record of 2:031/4 that Uhlan and Lewis
Forest made at Lexington, Ky., in 1912.

VAN NESS

Frank Van Ness, the last of the leading reinsmen
who retired from light harness racing before the
bike sulky put the high wheelers out of business in
1892, died in France in 1929. He was born in Lock-
port, N. Y., in 1850 and had been connected with the
gallopers for thirty years in America and Europe.

The future reinsman was brought up among
horses. His father was a dealer who shipped to the
New York market. Frank's flare was for racing.
When about seventeen years old he built a track on

R A C E A L 0 N G 145

his grandfather's farm and began training local
horses. At twenty he opened a public stable at
Rochester. The following year he won his first race
at Canandaigua with Drummer Boy. At this time he
was also training the Hunger Horse. When Van Ness
drove him in 2:23 at Buffalo he became the talk of
the country.

The showing of this horse prompted Frank Van
Ness in 1872 to pay $750 for St. James by Gooding's
Champion. This gelding had speed but was mixed
gaited. Van Ness balanced St. James as a trotter.
He won five races with him that season.

In 1873, the year that the Grand Circuit was
started, St. James won a $10,000 purse at Buffalo
in 2:231/2- He also won a $6,000 event at Utica in
2:26 and two races worth $9,000 at Springfield.

This showing was followed by a trip to California
where St. James won three races at San Francisco,
one of them being against Sam Purdy. In the spring
of 1874 St. James won a race to wagon at Sacra-
mento. He added five more to the score on the
eastern tracks before Lucky Baldwin purchased St.
James for $13,000 and turned him over to his son-
in-law Budd Doble.

While owned by Frank Van Ness, St. James won
twenty-two races. With the sale price included this
gelding netted his young owner over $30,000 aside
from what he won in the betting ring.

After looking around for a year Frank purchased
the gray gelding Albemarle. He won three races with
him, gave him a record of 2:20, and sold him to

146 RACEALONG

Kerner and Robinson of Rochester, N. Y. Van Ness
then went along with Damon. He won a number of
races in 1877, one of them being at Buffalo where he
defeated Nil Desperandum, Scotland, Dan Bryant,
and Dame Trot.

In 1878 Burt Sheldon purchased Mr. Kerner's
interest in Albemarle and turned the horse over to
Van Ness. He won three races that year, one being
at Hartford where Albemarle defeated John H.,
Adelaide, Lew Scott, Banquo, Powers, and Tramp-
oline in 2:19.

The Tennessee bred trotter Bonesetter was also a
member of the Van Ness stable that season. He won
a few races. In 1879 Bonesetter landed twelve more
and trotted in 2:19 when he defeated Dick
Swiveller, Hannis and Colonel Lewis at Rochester.
These horses were followed by Fred Douglass,
Robert McGregor, Palma, and Little Brown Jug
which Frank Van Ness purchased for $2,500 after
he won with him at Jackson, Mich., in 2:231/2-

In 1892 Frank Van Ness moved to Kentucky and
took charge of W. C. France's horses. During that
year and the following one he marked Bob Acres,
Butterfly, Isaac, The King, and Alcyone. In 1884
W. C. France purchased Harry Wilkes. This was the
horse that made the name of Frank Van Ness a
fixture. From that time until 1890 Harry Wilkes
started in sixty-seven races or performances against
time. Of that number he won fifty-five and never
finished back of second place.

The turf career of Harry Wilkes started in 1882

RACEALONG 147

when Woodard and Brasfield won two races with
him at Louisville and one at Lexington. They gave
him a record of 2:23%.

W. C. France purchased Harry Wilkes, June 20,
1884, and on July 4 won with him at Maysville, Ky.,
in 2:231/2- Between that date and the first week in
December, Harry Wilkes started in nineteen races
of which he won sixteen. He won at Pittsburgh in
2:18i/i, at Buffalo in 2:161/2, at Hartford where he
landed the $10,000 Charter Oak Purse, and at
Springfield where he equalled the track record of
2:15.

In 1885 Harry Wilkes won ten out of twelve races.
The season opened at New York, where he won from
Billy Button, Kenilworth, and Felix. He also de-
feated Trinket in three specials before being shipped
to Pittsburgh where he won in 2:151/2 from Clemmie
G., Trinket, Phyllis, and Jerome Turner. Clingstone
won a special from him at Detroit in 2:151/2 and he
lost to Phyllis at St. Louis.

Harry Wilkes won fifteen of his sixteen races in
1886. His first start was against time at Toledo
where he trotted a half-mile track in 2:17. His racing
began at Pittsburgh on July 6 and closed November
27 at San Francisco where he won over Guy Wilkes,
Antevolo, Charles Hilton, and Arab in 2:15. During
this campaign Harry Wilkes defeated Clemmie G.,
Joe Davis, PhyUis, MajoHca, Libby S., Belle F., and
OHver K. He cut his record to 2: 14% 'at Cleveland
and lost again at St. Louis.

Before starting on this trip Frank Van Ness

148 RACEALONG

purchased Harry Wilkes and sold him to James
Temple. The latter sold the gelding to Sire Bros.
When Harry Wilkes turned for the word in 1887 he
was their property. His first engagement was at San
Francisco where on April 2 he was booked to beat
2:14%. It was planned to make the trial in the
second heat. Before the horse started a local inventor
bolted a timing device to the shaft of the sulky. It
was adjusted so that the driver could start and stop
it with his foot. Van Ness tried it and in order to
make a good showing let Harry Wilkes step along.
The result was a mile in 2:13i/2> much to the sur-
prise of those who bet on time.

All of Harry Wilke's starts in 1887 were specials.
He defeated Gossip Jr. at Philadelphia, Johnston at
Detroit, and Rosalind Wilkes at Dallas. Patron de-
feated him at Cleveland in 2:14i/2> Prince Wilkes at
St. Louis, and Johnston in feature events at Spring-
field, Mass. and at the Minnesota State Fair.

Harry Wilkes was not started in 1888, at the close
of which Frank Van Ness retired from the sulky
and went over to the runners. The following year
John Turner trained Harry Wilkes and the other
horses owned by Sire Bros. Harry Wilkes won from
Gene Smith at Rochester, Oliver K. and Gene Smith
at Boston, and again from Gene Smith at New York.
Belle Hamhn defeated him at Buffalo. Gene Smith
also defeated him at Poughkeepsie and Hartford
where he won two heats in 2:1514 and 2:16%. His
last bid as a race horse was made at Lexington
where he took the word in the free for fall with Jack

RACEALONG 149

and Junemont. Harry Wilkes won the first two heats
in 2:15%, 2:15. In the third heat he shifted to a
pace at the head of the stretch and Jack won in 2:19.
The next two heats were easy for the Pilot Medium
gelding.

While campaigning Harry Wilkes, Frank Van Ness
also raced Albert France, Rosalind Wilkes, and
Gossip Jr. The last time I saw him in the sulky was
at Hartford in 1888 when he defeated Arrow,
Jewett, Joe L., and L. C. Lee with Gossip Jr. Arrow
was a California bred gelding. John H. Shults pur-
chased him in 1887 and turned him over to Budd
Doble. He won with him at Cleveland in 2:1414, at
Buffalo in 2:131/4, and Rochester in 2:1434.

In the Hartford race Jewett rushed off in front
and won the first heat in 2:15%. The second went
to Arrow in 2:15. At that point it looked as if
Arrow would win but Van Ness after desperate
drives in the stretch won the next three in 2:17%,
2:15%, 2:16%. Arrow was ordered home to Park-
ville Farm. Gossip Jr. won again the following week
at Springfield from the balance of the field in 2:161/2.

Four years after he went over to the gallopers
Frank Van Ness found a star in the Eolus colt
Morello which was purchased for a trifle. He won
twenty-four out of thirty-two races, one of them
being the Futurity.

150 RACEALONG

$25,000 PURSE WINNERS

The $25,000 events at Toledo and Kalamazoo in
1929 were won by Peter Cowl, Labrador and Counter-
part. The victory of Peter Cowl was an outstanding
performance as after finishing third to Nellie Signal
and High Noon in the first heat in 2:04% he came
back and won in 2:02 and 2:04. In his record making
mile this horse was timed separately in 2:01, the
last half being trotted in 59 seconds. In this heat
High Noon was only a few inches behind the winner
while there was a very narrow margin between him
and Lullawat at the finish of the third heat.

Peter Cowl was bred by Albert C. Hall of Stam-
ford, Connecticut, who was represented on the turf
in 1925 by Bob Armstrong 2:03% which defeated
Crawford in the $10,000 trot at Syracuse. Both of
these horses were got by Chestnut Peter. The dam
of Bob Armstrong was by Peter the Great while
Peter Cowl was out of Jane Cowl, by Jack Straw.
She made a two-year-old record of 2:24% before
being retired to the brood mare ranks. Jane Cowl
was out of Esther Bells 2:08l^, a daughter of the
California bred horse Monbells and the Electioneer
mare Expressive 2 :12i/2 that was a star in the three-
year-old events in the high wheel sulky days.

In 1929 Labrador started off at Lexington with a
victory in 2:06. Nat Ray chased him out with Ruth
Grattan. At the first Toledo meeting Labrador scored
again with Twinkling Joe in the place. At Cleveland
Lacey grabbed a heat from him with Mr. Napoleon

RACEALONG 151

after Labrador won a heat in 2:041/2 and he had
whizz enough to come back on the third trip in
2:051/^.

In the big event at Toledo Labrador led the field
to the wire in two trips in 2:03 and 2:031/2- Dean
Wilson chased him out in the first heat and Tramps-
mug in the second. The third heat went to Volo Rico
in 2:04, Labrador finishing fifth.

Labrador was foaled in 1924. He was got by
Belwin out of Memory by Beirne Holt. His second
dam Pleasant Moments was bred by Marcus Daley
in Montana. She was by Prodigal out of the Baron
Wilkes mare Extasy which has been represented on
the turf by the trotters Spencer 1 :59% and Ethelinda
2:021/4, both Kentucky Futurity winners.

Counterpart is a Tennessee product. He was bred
at Columbia. Geers gave his sire John A. a record
of 2:031/4 while his dam Hallie Argoless was got by
Argot Hal out of Lady Erectress, a mare which also
produced Napoleon Direct 1:59%.

As a young horse while in Tennessee Counterpart
acquired the reputation of an outlaw by running
away a few times. Finally he was purchased by R.
C. McClenathan of Erie, Pa. He shipped him to Ed
McGrath at Reading, Pa.

Counterpart made a few starts in 1924. The fol-
lowing year he was seen in the Bay State and Orange
County Circuits and at the Pennsylvania fairs. In
his first start at Norwich, Conn., he ran away and
made two trips around the track before he could be
stopped. At Avon he landed a $5,000 event while at

152 RACEALONG

Endicott he defeated Robert Commodore in 2:061/4-
In one of the heats in this race Counterpart made
a break and was forced to pace a half mile in 1 :01
to win.

This showing' placed the acid stamp of merit
on the roan horse and those who saw the performance
were satisfied that lameness was the only thing that
could keep him from dropping into the fastest classes
on the mile tracks. And that was just what happened
as during the next three years he was bothered with
splints.

Finally Mr. McClenathan consigned Counterpart
to the New York sale in 1928. He was purchased by
Dr. Parshall of Urbana, Ohio. Counterpart was fired
for the splints and the trouble yielded to treatment.
Parshall then broke him to hopples and after a few
battles with the high keyed pacer found that he had
a useful racing tool. Counterpart's first start in 1929
was made at Lexington. He won in 2:02%. At Cleve-
land he grabbed a heat from Colonel Strong and
Dean Wilson in the Edwards Stake in 2:03i4. The
next week at Toledo he was third in the deciding heat
of the $25,000 event won by Labrador.

Counterpart found his day in the spot light at
Kalamazoo where in the $25,000 pace he won from
a field of twenty-one. In the first heat Kinney Direct
chased him out in 2:02l^. On the next trip his
Cleveland rival Colonel Strong was in the place in
2:02% and on the third he finished in front of Black
Scott in 2:03%.

RACEALONG 153

BURDETT LOOMIS

Burdett Loomis, one of the many sided men which
Connecticut has given to the world, went west in
1922. He was born in SufReld in 1838, and remained
on his father's farm until 1871 when he located in
Hartford. Burdett Loomis was descended in the
seventh generation from Joseph Loomis, who settled
in Windsor in 1639, and while the world at large
knew him as an inventor and organizer, the follow-
ers of light harness racing will always remember
him as the man who was responsible for the build-
ing and equipping of Charter Oak Park at Hartford.

One day when in a reminiscent mood, Mr. Loomis
said that the first trotting race he ever saw was
contested over the half-mile track on Albany Ave-
nue in Hartford on October 30, 1861. It was to
saddle, the starters being the gray gelding Rock-
ingham with Budd Doble up and Lancet. Doble won
the event in 2:24l^. Burdett Loomis' interest in
racing started that day and when he located in
Hartford, he decided that the city should have one
of the best courses in the country. With that object
in view, he selected a site, organized the associa-
tion, superintended the building of the track, as well
as the planting of the trees which made its park
like appearance.

All of the early meetings were successful but in
1883 Loomis decided that Hartford should have an
event that would attract national attention. After
considerable deliberation he drafted the conditions

154 RACEALONG

of the first Charter Oak $10,000 Purse, which was
won by Director.

In 1903 when I was preparing the conditions of
the first three heat race for A. J. Welch, it being the
Charter Oak Purse that Billy Buck won, Burdett
Loomis dropped into the office. During the conver-
sation he stated that when he proposed the original
event in 1883, the directors of the association had
some doubts in regard to it but Morgan G. Bulkeley,
who was treasurer, told him to go ahead and he
would guarantee the race. Fourteen entries were
received so that instead of losing money the associa-
tion made a profit and also had a splendid contest.

During his long life, Burdett Loomis saw many
changes. The last time that I met him he referred
to a trip which he made with his father, Allen
Loomis, to the powder works at Hazzardville during
the Crimean War. Upon their arrival, they found
representatives of England, France and Russia
anxious to purchase powder. His father had to enter-
tain two of them while Colonel Hazzard made a sale
to the third.

The powder works at Hazardville were estab-
lished by his father, who in addition to owning
a large farm, had a mill and cigar box factory in
suffield, and purchased furs in New Hampshire and
Vermont for John Jacob Astor. Powder was scarce
and at times hard to get for the fur trade, so he
started the powder mill. After running it a few years
he took Colonel Hazzard, who had come to New
York from South Carolina, into partnership and

RACEALONG 155

ultimately sold the business at Hazardville to him.
In his day Burdett Loomis had many tilts with
good and bad fortune. Like all Yankees he had a
life long fondness for the trotter. In his day he
was the companion of William Edwards of Cleveland,
C. J. HamHn of Buffalo, George W. Archer of
Rochester, C. W. Hutchinson of Utica, and L. J.
Powers of Springfield, with all of which he labored
zealously to establish and maintain the Grand
Circuit.

BAY STATE CIRCUIT OF 1927

The fourteenth renewal of the Bay State Circuit
closed at Northampton after a run of seven weeks.
During the trip from Greenfield to that point there
were twenty-three days racing. Sixty-five races
were scheduled for the series. All of them were dis-
posed of, thirty-six of them being for trotters and
twenty-nine for pacers.

The only check caused by the weather occurred
on the last day at Springfield after four heats were
contested. This resulted in five heats being can-
celled. As they were all in fast classes it made a
marked difference in the average rate of speed for
the meeting.

In 1927 the liberal purses brought out the fast-
est fields of horses ever seen on the New England
half-mile tracks and that the clip was maintained
at all of the meetings was shown by the fact that
the average for the one hundred and thirty-one

156 RACEALONG

heats trotted was 2:12l^ while the one hundred and
four heats paced averaged 2:09l^. The average
for the circut at both gaits was 2:10l^.

The trotters at the Greenfield meeting averaged
2:1214 and the pacers 2:10, the average rate for
the meeting being 2:lll^. At Sturbridge the clip
was faster. The average for that meeting was
2:10%, the rate for the trotters being 2:12 and the
pacers 2:09. The care given the Norwich track im-
proved the footing on that sandy course. This was
shown by the average rate of speed for the trotters
being 2:11% and the pacers 2:101/4, making the
average for the meeting 2:11.

Avon and Windsor each gave four days racing.
This resulted in a few slower classes appearing
on the card. The clip, however, was as fast as was
seen on the mile tracks a few years ago. At Avon
the average rate of speed for the trotters was
2:121/4 while the pacers averaged 2:10, making the
average for the meeting 2:11. The average for the
Windsor meeting was 2:lli/2, the trotters rate be-
ing 2:12 and the pacers 2:10i/2.

Springfield, as usual, led in the matter of speed.
At that point the trotters averaged 2:11 and the
pacers 2:08i4. The meeting averaged a fraction
under 2:10. Several new circuit records were also
made at that meeting. Carolyn Logan paced in
2:051/2, Millie W. and Billy D. in 2:05%, while the
two-year-old filly Miss Eclipse trotted in 2:12i4.

The returns for Northampton show that the high
speed was continued up to the last heat. At this

RACEALONG 157

point the sixteen heats trotted averaged 2:lll^
while the twelve heats paced averaged 2:10, mak-
ing the rate for the meeting 2:10V4.

Millie W. was the only starter in the Bay State
Circuit in 1927 that made the trip without being
defeated. Her names goes into the record with
Earlwood L., Colonel Bidwell, Anoakia, Iskander,
and Tippie Volo. Her fastest heat was paced at
Springfield where she won in 2:05%. Wayne Hal
proved her most formidable rival. He grabbed a
heat from her at Norwich where the pair paced the
last half of a mile in 1 :01%.

Hodson drove Millie W. in all of her races except
at Windsor. While he was in the hospital Fleming
was given the mount. Hodson also won with Bert
Abbe at Norwich, Avon, Springfield, and North-
ampton. Crozier drove him at Windsor the week
that his regular pilot was on the shelf and defeated
Carolyn Logan in the $10,000 event.

During his trip through the Bay State Circuit
Hodson won eleven races, six with Millie W., four
with Bert Abbe, and one with Preston Watts. Wal-
ter Breitenfield made a splendid showing. At
Greenfield he won with Bob Maxey and Carolyn
Logan. He also repeated with the Logan mare at
Sturbridge where she paced in 2:06%.

Skipping Norwich Breitenfield dropped into line
again at Avon where he failed to score. The tide
turned his way at Windsor where he won a $10,000
event with Billy D. This airy going pacer scored
again at Springfield where Carolyn Logan defeated

158 RACEALONG

Bert Abbe in 2:05V2- As Carolyn Logan hit her
knee at Springfield she did not start at Northampton
where Billy D. won again for Mr. Niles.

The two-year-old colt Plucky was one of the bright
lights in the circuit. He made his first flash at
Greenfield where he won in 2:14%. He won again
at Sturbridge in 2:15%, repeated in 2:161/4 ^t Nor-
wich, and came back again at Windsor in 2:15 after
losing the $5,000 event to Azure Volo at Avon.

Dean Etawah was Fred Hyde's first circuit win-
ner. He came through at Greenfield and Sturbridge
where his trainer also defeated John Gallagher with
Bee Worthy. An accident at Norwich kept Hyde
out of the sulky until the horses reached Windsor.
He failed to score at that point but won at Spring-
field with the two-year-old filly Miss Eclipse in
2:12l^. This filly also won at Northampton where
Bee Worthy again appeared at the top of a sum-
mary.

Three of the members of Ed McGrath's stable
scored. Prince Charming made his first start at
Greenfield where he defeated Oscawana and Bee
Worthy. He also won the $10,000 trot at Avon. At
that point Wayne Hal evaded Millie W. and won
in 2:09l^ and Holly rood Mark landed his race at
Windsor.

Will Flemming had Guesswork on edge when the
circuit opened. At Greenfield she won from Billy D.
She came through again in 2:06 at Sturbridge and
2:06% at Norwich. At Avon she was defeated by
Silver Weather while Billy D. defeated the pair at

RACEALONG 159

Windsor. Of his other starters Flemming before
shipping west won with Sister Worthy in 2:101/2 and
in 2:0814 with Milhe W.

Ackerman failed to make his usual showing. He
scored at two points with the Peter Volo colt, The
Buccaneer while Oscawana was sent home after he
pulled up lame at Avon.

Neil Frisco proved a disappointment to Mosher.
The San Francisco gelding showed fast in his first
three races but after that seemed to lose form. Guy
Reaper, his stable companion, was on the firing line
from the first heat at Greenfield which he won in
2:09. The race went to Preston Watts. Guy Reaper
won at Sturbridge and Windsor where he defeated
a formidable field in a $10,000 event.

Crozier shipped west after the Windsor meeting
where he won the $10,000 pace with Bert Abbe
and was seen in the other two behind Silver Weather
and Jeritza. He also won at Norwich with John
Gallagher and scored in the $10,000 purse at Cherry
Park with Silver Weather.

Pitman dropped into the circuit at Norwich. After
that meeting he won all of the three-year-old pacing
races with Ace High. Pitman put a record of 2:0814
on Senator Stout at Springfield and scored with him
in the same time at Northampton where he defeated
Viola Sunshine, Blackstone Dillon and Prince
Charming.

Harry Brusie was seen behind three' winners in
the Bay State Circuit in 1927. The three-year-old
filly Gypsy Star won for him at Norwich in 2:131/2.

160 RACEALONG

He also scored with Azure Volo in a $5,000 event
for two-year-old trotters at Cherry Park where he
took a catch mount behind Blackstone Dillon and
won in 2:10.

Cy Becker dropped in from North Carolina with
Doane and Nettie B. The filly was unsteady but her
stable companion after putting up a four heat battle
at Avon won the $5,000 three-year-old event from
Dock Dillon and The Buccaneer had everything his
own way from that point to Northampton.

After Leese met with an accident at Avon, Crozier
got in and won the deciding heat with Jeritza. He
was also up when she. was defeated by Guy Reaper
at Windsor. At that meeting Rodney won with
Worthy Todd from the Leese stable. He scored with
Jeritza at Springfield and Northampton. Roseta, a
member of his own stable, also won for him at these
two, at one of which she made a record of 2:10.

Red Dillon won for Kingsley at Sturbridge, Avon
and Windsor before being shipped to Maine. Mar-
tin also picked up two races with Temple Harvester
and two with Bugle Call.

TOWN NAMED FOR A HORSE

Prior to 1840 a man named White established a
trading post in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, sixteen
miles south of Alexandria. Others located there and
in a few years it became an important center.

In those days all of the freight for that section

RACEALONG 161

was carried on the Mississippi and Red River boats.
It was hauled to or from the river banks by mules.

The people in the White settlement and on the
plantations near it were more progressive than their
neighbors as in a few years they built a railroad to
Alexandria. The road bed which they made was in
time used by the Texas & Pacific.

The White trading depot was near the Wellswood
Plantation, where General Wells and his brother
Montfort had a stable of race horses. Among others
they had a chestnut colt by Boston out of the cele-
brated mare Reel.

This colt was foaled in 1850. He owed his existence
to the fancy which Ambrose Lecomte, a neighbor of
General Wells, took to Boston while he was in
Kentucky in 1848. On his suggestion Reel was mated
with the sire of Lexington. When the colt showed
that he possessed the qualities which go with a great
race horse, General Wells named him Lecomte after
his friend.

Everybody in Rapides Parish was proud of this
colt. This pride almost became hero worship when
Lecomte defeated Lexington at four mile heats in
7:26, a new world's record. In order to give expres-
sion to their feelings, the men in the settlement met
at White's store and by a unanimous vote decided
to name their town after the horse.

This was in 1854. From that date the place was
known as Lecomte. Later on the post-office depart-
ment and the railroad when it came through from
New Orleans changed the spelHng to Lecompte.

162 RACEALONG

Bruce made the same mistake when he entered this
colt among the produce of Reel in the American Stud
Book.

The error is a peculiar one. Lecompte does not
mean anything but in good old Anglo Saxon the
name of Ambrose Lecomte would read Ambrose the
Count.

JOHN FARRIS

For many years John Farris was the proprietor
of a music store in Hartford, Conn. It is located
on Asylum Street, a few doors from the building in
which J. Pierpont Morgan was born. The old gentle-
man passed away in 1911 at the mature age of
eighty-five. From youth up he had a fondness for
horses and after locating in Hartford began driving
them on the road. When he started there was nothing
in the way of blood lines to guide a buyer and all
anyone could do was as he termed it ''pick them
out." John Farris was one of those who was favored
by nature with an eye for form and gait and it was
a very rare thing for anyone to find a prospect that
could defeat his trotter on the half-mile track on
Albany Avenue or on the trip into town. A short
time before his death he said that his best trotter
was a mare called Hartford Belle which he pur-
chased for a few dollars from a farmer near the
mouth of the Connecticut River and sold for $3,500
to one of the Lorillards of New York City after he
had given her a mark of 2 :35.

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RACEALONG 163

WILKES BREWER

It is unusual for half-mile track trotters to attract
national attention. There has been a few of them,
however, as was shown by the series of races be-
tween Kenyon W., Baron Reaper, and Joe Bowers
on the Illinois tracks in 1911 and which culminated
in a desperate five-heat contest at Ottawa, where
Joe Bowers after winning two heats in 2:091/4 and
2:1114 was beaten by Kenyon W. in 2:09%, 2:10%,
2:14. Baron Reaper forced him out in each of the
deciding heats. After this race the combination was
broken up by John L. Dodge purchasing Joe Bowers
and taking him east. Kenyon W., however, went
on to meet other rivals. Fair Maiden and Baron
Reaper being the only ones to show in front of him
during the balance of the season.

In 1916 Fred Jamison appeared on the double
ovals with a splendid sample of racing material
called Wilkes Brewer. She was a dark chestnut with
flashy white markings, that had been raced during
her three and four-year-old form with fair success.
Four firsts out of twelve starts was all she had to
show.

Wilkes Brewer passed into Jamison's stable at the
close of 1915. She responded to his method of train-
ing and under it won eleven races in a row, although
at Lima, Ohio, it looked as though Harvey Ernest
had taken her measure with Ima Jay. On that July
afternoon, Ima Jay won two heats 'in 2:1214 and
2:091/2, Strafford being second in one and The Acme

164 RACEALONG

in the other. On the third trip, Wilkes Brewer came
through in front in 2:081/4 with Ima Jay in the place.
Also after W. J. Leyburn finished second to her in
2:131/4 on the next trip, Ima Jay again took up the
battle and forced Wilkes Brewer out in 2:08%, mak-
ing a world's record for a fifth heat on a half-mile
track.

Later on when the daughter of Nutwood Wilkes
appeared on the Orange County Circuit, she had
everything her own way. She won at Monroe,
Goshen, and Middletown in nine heats, the fastest
being finished in 2:09%.

During 1917 and 1918, the activities of Wilkes
Brewer were limited to the mile tracks, except in
two events. Sickness put a crimp in her career in
1917 but in 1918 she won five out of eleven starts
and reduced her record to 2:05%, when she defeated
Mack Forbes, Blanche Carter, Lotto Watts, and
eight others at North Randall.

While Wilkes Brewer was a peculiarly bred trot-
ter, like the old champions Maud S. and Jay Eye
See, she has but one cross of trotting blood on the
side of her dam Mary Bales, a mare that became
conspicuous by producing the pacer Zombrewer,
2:04%.

Mont joy, the sire of Mary Bales, was bred in
Maine. He was got by General Withers, a son of
Almont and Bloom by Ashland, the latter being by
Mambrino Chief and out of the thoroughbred mare
Ulvilla by imported Margrave. Molly J., the dam of
Mary Bales, was also got by a galloper, her sire

R A C E A L 0 N G 165

being Waller, a son of imported Hurrah and Queen
of Clubs by imported Bonnie Scotland. Notwith-
standing this unusual inheritance, Wilkes Brewer
was a pure gaited trotter with perfect racing man-
ners and in many respects resembled Hazel Wilkes,
which John A. Goldsmith raced in the early nineties.
In five years Wilkes Brewer started in forty-two
races of which she won twenty-one, was second in
one, third in nine, fourth in one and unplaced in
ten. She also reduced her record each season. Start-
ing off with a three-year-old record of 2:17% made
in a fourth heat at Sidney, Ohio, she reduced it to
2:171/4 when she won at Bowling Green, in her four-
year-old form. Her five-year-old record of 2:081/4
was made at Lima. As a six-year-old she won in
2:071/4 at Columbus, and in 1918 as a seven-year-old
in 2:051/4 at North Randall.

GEERS OVER THE BORDER

Edward Franklin Geers and his speed marvel
Sanardo invaded Canada in 1923 to fill an engage-
ment on the King's Birthday at Toronto. Rain made
the track at the Exhibition Park so that it could not
be used. It did not, however, prevent the Canadian
horsemen from visiting the stable to see the little
pacer and Chilcoot, which C. W. Burns sent over to
the park to keep his Walnut Hall Farm relative
company while he was on the north shore of Lake
Ontario.

While speaking of his first trip to New York City

166 RACEALONG

in 1877, Geers said that he was eight days in a car
with Ahce West. He was under orders to win with
her at Fleetwood Park, and Hartford if he could, and
then return to Tennessee. On the way north Alice
West filled up in the car and when it came to rac-
ing she did not show very well for three heats. Sir
Walter won the first two and Hogarth the third. By
that time Alice West got under way and won.

"And do you know," remarked the old gentleman,
'There was not even a cheer. Finally a darky about
seven foot high threw his hat in the air and yelled,
'Hooray for old Kentucky.'

"Two weeks later Hogarth defeated Alice West at
Hartford after she had won two heats and Galatea
one. This was my first visit to Charter Oak Park.
In 1917 on my fortieth annual stop, the association
presented me with a beautful silk flag."

As the conversation drifted to judges and race
meetings Geers said: "In 1883 I was racing Joe
Braden in Texas. It was a rough country in those
days. The betting was very heavy among the cattle
men and a few of them would not stop at anything.

"In the first heat I was closing on the favorite in
the stretch and would have beaten him if my horse
had not made a jump near the wire. Some one did
not like the looks of it and I was taken out. The
man who was put up saw that Joe Braden was dis-
tanced in the next heat."

Some one said, "Did you protest, Mr. Geers?"

"Not down there, my friend," replied the old mas-
ter. "I was glad to get the horse back."

RACEALONG 167

GIFT HORSES

When Double Chance won the Liverpool Grand
National the racing world was advised that the
premier jumper of 1925 was a gift horse. Captain
Rothschild gave Double Chance to the English
trainer Fred Archer. He made good.

For some unknown reason gift horses carry a
luck charm. No one has ever defined it but years
ago a phrase maker said ''Never look a gift horse
in the mouth."

Many trotters were gift horses or traced to them.
In time they are forgotten except by a few. Still the
goo dfeeling which went with them was a bond that
knit groups together and reminded everybody that
the world is not such a cold blooded proposition
after all.

When John H. Shults, after he purchased
Axworthy, hit the up grade as a breeder, he invited
friends to send mares to his court. One of them
was David Bonner.

Mr. Bonner owned Wanda 2:17%. She was a gift
from Frank Work when her days on the road were
over. Wanda produced several fillies by Axworthy.
All of them were got by gift services and all of them
showed speed. They produced such trotters as Fin-
varra 2:051/2 and Escotillo 2:033^.

While the descendants of Wanda had speed none
of them showed the championship form of the two
greatest gift horses in turf history — Stamboul, and
Peter Manning.

168 RACEALONG

Stamboul was bred by L. J. Rose of Los Angeles,
Cal. John W. Mackey owned his dam. He bred her
to Sultan and got Ruby. When this filly appeared
Mackey told Mr. Rose to breed Fleetwing back to
Sultan and get a colt for himself. The produce was
Stamboul.

As a colt Stamboul showed the high type which
distinguished him from the time he first took the
word in public until the grave closed over him in the
infield of the ''historic" track at Goshen, N. Y.
Stamboul climbed the ladder of fame until he and
Kremlin clashed for the stallion record. The figures
kept changing at Stockton and Nashville. One week
Kremlin was on top and William Russell Allen and
his associates rejoiced. The next week Stamboul
came through. Finally there was a rumor that all
was not well at the Stockton kite track. Reports
began to filter east that whenever Stamboul started
all of the timing watches on the grounds were
borrowed and carried to the judges' stand. It was
also alleged that the watches stopped so as to reduce
the last Kremlin performance.

No one questioned the performances of Kremlin.
His record was accepted. Still the wedge was never
driven home firm enough to convince the world that
those who were connected with Stamboul had not
given out the correct time.

While the argument was at a white heat Stamboul
was shipped to New York and sold at auction. The
old rink on Third Avenue was packed with the
lovers of the American trotter when Peter C. Kellogg

RACEALONG 169

hung up Stamboul's number and asked for bids.

The sale started with a bid of $30,000. It was made
by Andrew J. Welch. Peter Duryea, who afterwards
purchased Peter the Great and took him to Kentucky,
raised the figure to $35,000. A member of the firm
of Forbes & Wallace of Springfield, Mass., was the
next bidder. He said $36,000. Andy Welch after
conferring with his partner Orlando Jones raised
the figure to $38,000. It looked for a few minutes
as if he would get him. When Kellogg was on the
point of knocking him down, John A. Goldsmith, who
had driven Stamboul, said $40,000.

At this point another bidder appeared. He was a
slim built man with a black mustache and dark
eyes. He nodded his head for another thousand.
Stamboul was his for $41,000. The buyer was Edward
H. Harriman. Mr. Harriman drove Stamboul on the
speedway. He finally sent him to Goshen where he
died.

Peter Manning had a different career. W. M.
Wright owned the Gratten mare Glenora. She had
speed but was unsound. At that time Mr. Wright
lived near Libertyville, Illinois. Further up the road
John R. Thompson had a farm on which he kept
his show horses and the trotting stallion Azoff.

Dick McMahon trained Azoff as a two-year-old.
After one start an accident cancelled his turf career.
McMahon's home was opposite the Thompson farm.
He had charge of Azoff.

One day in the spring of 1915 Mr. Wright was
at the Libertyville track with Glenora. She had

170 RACEALONG

dropped a filly by Azoff the year before and was
again in training. When she pulled up lame McMahon
said to Wright ''Send her over to Thompson's place
and breed her to Azoff." Mr. Wright declined the
oft'er and went home. Later on after thinking it
over he sent her up.

In the spring of 1916 Glenora dropped a bay colt.
In time he was weaned, gelded and broken to harness
by Harry Putnam. The spring the gelding was a
three-year-old McMahon's foreman told him that
Putnam had a fast trotter. The prospect was too
near home to expect anything out of the ordinary
in the way of racing material. The gelding was
named Peter Manning after the man who stood by
Mr. Wright when he threw up a $10,000 a year job
to paddle his own canoe.

The balance of Peter Manning's career is an open
book. After winning a race at Libertyville in 2:17V2
he was shipped to Milwaukee where he trotted in
2:10. At Lexington Peter Manning worked a mile in
2:061/2. Thomas W. Murphy purchased the gelding
for Irving Gleas'on. Mr. Wright's price was $21,000.

As a four-year-old Peter Manning won all of his
engagements except at Philadelphia where Geers
drove him on account of Murphy being in the
hospital. A stumble at a soft spot in the track and
a broken check put him behind the flag. At Hartford
Peter Manning won the Charter Oak Purse, at Syra-
cuse the Empire State Purse and at Lexington the
Transylvania.

In 1921 Peter Manning started as a record maker.

RACEALONG 171

He was soon up to a mile in two minutes. From that
point he moved on from one figure to another until
at Lexington in 1922 he placed the world's record
for trotters at 1:56%. In 1923 Peter Manning tied
Uhlan's half-mile track record of 2:02% at Allen-
town, a figure which Geers cut to 2:021/? at South
Bend, Ind. the week before he was killed at Wheel-
ing. Later on Tom Berry reduced the mark with
Peter Manning to 2:02^/4 at Reading, Pa.

Peter Manning's performances as a race horse
and as a time record performer are the most brilliant
in turf history. The luck charm that goes with him
is that Peter Manning was a gift colt. His sister
Azie Glen trotted in 2:141/4 in 1920. She also made
her record at South Bend, Ind. Glenora's other foals
never heard the bell ring.

HOLDOVERS

There is nothing connected with harness racing
that causes the manager of a meeting as much un-
easiness during the winter months as placing the
holdovers. While there has always been a few horses
of this kind, they never became conspicuous until
1901 when C. J. Hamlin paid Ed Geers $10,000 for
Direct Hal and worked him in public all season.
By October he was fast enough to win a free-for-all.
When Direct Hal was turned loose in 1902 he made
a sweep and won $25,550. His success prompted
others to adopt the same method but few were
successful as there was always a chance of a comet

172 RACEALONG

drifting in as Dean found when he met The Eel with
Minor Heir while such horses as Billy Buck, R. T. C,
Sweet Marie and Nutboy upset the plans of many
experts on racing form.

George Gano's splendid battles in 1908 with Minor
Heir and The Eel, both of which he forced out in
2:0214, resulted in his transfer to the Murphy stable
the following year when he won nine of his eleven
races and $13,600. In 1911 when R. T. C. made his
sweep and won $31,600, Belvasia, who grabbed a
heat from him was purchased. The transfer kept her
in the stable. The same thing happened in 1914 after
the struggle between Lassie McGregor and Peter
Scott in the M. & M. Cox was again in the market
and sold Peter Scott for $30,000. He remained in the
stable. The following year he won seventeen out of
eighteen races and $50,535.

In 1915 a unique pair of trotters appeared in
Peter Mac and Mabel Trask. The stallion was driven
in 2:03V2 by his owner while Cox worked Mabel
Trask in 2:041/4. During the next winter this pair
trotted many a race around the stove. It was the
only place they ever met as Peter Mac went amiss
the following spring, while Geers took up the battle
with St. Frisco. This gallant trotter and Mabel
Trask trotted the greatest series of races that were
seen on the mile tracks since 1881 when Clingstone
and Edwin Thorne had everybody on their toes.
Finally the futurities solved the problem of tha hold-
overs as it was not long before the two and three-
year-olds could defeat the aged horses.

RACEALONG 173

ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT IN 1927

The Orange County Circuit of 1927 closed at Mid-
dletown on August 19 after a run of four weeks
during which forty races were contested. Of that
number twenty-eight were for trotters and twelve
for pacers. In order to distribute the $130,000 in
premiums, seventy-nine heats were trotted and
thirty-four paced. The heats trotted averaged a
shade over 2:11% and the heats paced averaged a
trifle under 2:08.

The Orange County Circuit started at Endicott
where rain cut five heats from the last day's card.
The high spots at the meeting were touched by
Doane and Bert Abbe. The first named reduced the
three-year-old record for trotters over a half-mile
track to 2:07% when he defeated Radium. In the
last pace Bert Abbe won in 2:031/4, reducing the
track record from 2 :05 where Hodson placed it with
Adioo Guy when he raced the white-faced horse for
the Johnson family.

At Endicott the average rate for the trotters was
2:101/4. The pacers placed their figure at 2:07%,
making the average for the meeting 2:091/2-

A heavy track on the opening day of the Monroe
meeting cut the rate of speed at that point, the
average for the meeting being 2:101/9. For nineteen
heats the trotters averaged 2:10%. The rate for
the pacers was 2:091/2 for nine heats.. Trumpet and
Victor Frisco dropped in from the mile tracks and
won.

174 RACEALONG

In the three-year-old trot White received a jolt
when he tried to catch Doane with Ruth M. Che-
nault. In her two-year-old form this filly won in
2:09% over the Monroe track when she defeated
Signal Flash. Doane raced away from her in 2:10.

Rozeta showed a flash when she disposed of Sister
Worthy and Pongee Volo. She cut her record to
2:081/4- The same afternoon Billy D. disposed of
Guesswork and Pete Green in 2:061/2.

At Goshen the half-milers went over the top when
they made the average for the ''historic track"
meeting 2:08%. The nine heats paced averaged
2:061/2 and the twenty-six trotted 2:09%. Victor
Frisco trotted the fastest heat when he won in
2:06%. Guesswork was awarded the Chamber of
Commerce Cup for pacing a heat in 2:04%.

The two-year-old contest between Plucky and Miss
Eclipse was sparkling. The filly won the first heat
in 2:12% and the colt the next two, both of them
being trotted in 2:12%. Doane continued on his
winning way. His fastest trip, 2:081/2, was made in
the second heat. In the third heat he also gave the
spectators a speed sample by trotting the third
quarter in 301/2 seconds.

There were several other high spots at Goshen.
Kahla Dillon trotted three heats under 2:08, Black-
stone Dillon, another Dillon Axworthy, forcing her
out. Millie W. paced in 2 :06 while Bert Abbe buzzed
off in front of Prue Grattan in 2:05%.

A heavy track on the last day of the meeting
at Middletown cut the average to 2:10 for thirty

RACEALONG 175

heats. The pacers paced nine heats at an average
rate of 2:08 while for twenty-one heats trotted
averaged 2:10%. In the three-year-old trot Helter
Skelter forced Doane out in 2:09. Jeritza trotted
in 2:06V2> it being her third win in the circuit.

The Ohio gelding Al Bingen secured a head line
in the morning papers by defeating Millie W. and
Wayne Hal in the 2:15 pace. This pair had a num-
ber of stubborn contests since the horses started
at Greenfield, Mass. in June. While Wayne Hal oc-
casionally won a heat Millie W. always landed the
event. It was also appropriate that Al Bingen should
win at Middletown as his sire Joe Dodge was bred
by J. L. Dodge, when he maintained a stock farm
near that town before he transferred his breeding
operations to Hollyrood Farm at Lexington, Ky.

On the trip through the Orange County Circuit,
Hodson won eight races. Four of them with Bert
Abbe, three with Millie W. and one with Trumpet.
Six races were won by Rodney. He scored three
times with Jeritza, twice with Rozeta, and once with
Myra Harvester.

Becker made a sweep with Doane. He won with
this three-year-old gelding at Endicott in 2:07%,
at Monroe in 2:10, at Goshen in 2:08i/2> and at Mid-
dletown in 2:09.

Fred Hyde won at Endicott with Bee Worthy, at
Monroe with Miss Eclipse, and at Goshen with
Denesia, a sister to Rochelle Maid and Sakura. She
was by Atlantic Express, the sire of Jerifza, Rozeta
and Miss EcHpse, all winners in this circuit in 1927.

176 RACEALONG

SPOTLIGHT DRIVERS

While a few clever trotters and pacers will make
the reputation of a driver, it requires skill and
patience to take a bunch of colts in the rough and
mould them into racing material. Walter Cox has
done it a number of times, two samples being Sam
Williams and Hazelton. His colt breaker turned Sam
Williams down as a dangerous youngster while the
owner of Hazelton rated the Lu Princeton colt as a
fair road horse. Patience and work changed this pair
into Grand Circuit material. Sam Williams in 1927
won in 2:021/4 while Hazelton reduced the four-
year-old race record for trotters to 2:01%.

While this pair won a number of races in 1927
neither of them touched the spotlight like Mable
Trask or Lu Princeton. Lu Princeton had to be
drilled a year before he moved into the front rank.
On the other hand Mable Trask was sampled for a
season before being sent for the money but from
that time until she retired she was in the spotlight.

Both of the above samples are however rather
mild when compared with his showing in 1929 when
Walter Dear, Volomite, Sir Guy Mac and Miss
Woerner all graduates of this training camp won
the first four monies in the Hambletonian stake
after landing all of the other worth while three-
year-old events that year.

Almost every trainer of note has had a few spot-
light horses. Lon McDonald's first was the pacing
mare Miss McEwen. Her flash was made at Cleve-

RACEALONG 177

land. On that day she dropped in from the bushes
and won. At that time McDonald was a stranger
on the larger ovals, so much so that a man was sent
to get the name of the driver. He came back with
the report that the driver of Miss McEwen was
Alonzo McDonald and her groom Dusty Rhodes.
After that date both of them were seen on many
tracks.

In 1915 a sunstroke started Ben White on the
way to the spotlight. Andrews was prostrated so
Lee Axworthy and Volga were turned over to him.
Volga never lost a race. Lee Axworthy cut the
stallion record to l:58l^.

In 1927 White made it possible for a fellow reins-
man to seek the spotlight by handing losola's
Worthy to Marvin Childs. This western product had
held his own in fast company with Hal Mahone and
Hal Bee but their doings look tame w^hen compared
with winning the Kentucky Futurity and Hamble-
tonian Stake on consecutive weeks.

The first Hambletonian Stake gave Nat Ray an
opportunity to slip in with Guy McKinney. In 1926
he won all of this colt's engagements and in the
deciding heat of the big race sat as still as a statue
behind his mount when Guy Dean was cutting down
his lead at each stride on the trip from the distance
to the wire. First money was over $45,000 but Ray
never lost his nerve. So far as he was concerned he
looked as if he were racing for a bushel of oats. Guy
McKinney won by a head.

After the race Ray said that so far as he was

178 RACEALONG

concerned the result was never in doubt. He also
added that he was satisfied that Guy McKinney
could trot in two minutes. This remark and the
confidence of the owners of the horse gave Tom
Berry a chance to be a spotlight driver in 1927.

After a season in the stud Berry took Guy Mc-
Kinney in hand and conditioned him for a trip
against the watch at a rate of speed that was new to
him. The bid was to be made at Syracuse but bad
weather called a halt. Other troubles developed at
Lexington but finally at Phoenix, Arizona, on
Thanksgiving Day, Tom Berry moved into the bright
light with Guy McKinney by reducing the four year
old record of the world to 1 :58%. In 1929 he scored
again with the two-year-old champion, Hanover's
Bertha, 2:02.

In 1926 Vic Fleming had his day at Phoenix
Arizona, when he drove Mr. McElwyn in 1 : 5914. This
was his second addition to the fast list. The first
was made in 1920 when he won with Louie Grattan
at Lexington, both of her heats being paced in two
minutes. Then in 1928 he added a third when he
won with Grattan Bars in 1:591/2-

Billy Dickerson has seen a number of days when
the spotlight was turned on. The flash started with
the showing of Anna Bradford's Girl, her first trip
below two minutes being made at Syracuse in 1926.
Her performances were blended with the showing
of Guy Trogan, Guy Ozark, Peter Maltby and High-
land Scott.

George Loomis is another member of the group of

RACEALONG 179

drivers that has seen the light on both the mile and
half-mile tracks. The manner in which he won the
$25,000 pace at Kalamazoo with HoUyrood Walter
reminded everyone that a race is not over until the
leader has passed the wire. The patience with which
he nursed Sir Roche along from one triumph to
another showed that a skillful driver can overcome
almost anything so long as he has speed.

Palin gradually worked his way into the spotlight
with hoppled pacers. When he started out from
Russiaville, Ind., with Possibility, few dreamed that
he would go over the top, but he did.

As the years roll by the leaders on both the mile
and half-mile tracks find a horse or two which put
them in the spotlight. In 1927 Hodson rode in front
with Bert Abbe and Millie W., while Will Flemming
flared with the rejuvenated Guesswork. Art Martin
lined up in the winning column with Bugle Call and
Fred Hyde flashed by again and again behind trot-
ters by Atlantic Express. Ed Kirby had Plucky for
a meal ticket while Walter Garrison rode in 2:00i/?
behind Berry the Great at Toledo.

Cy Becker started from North Carolina with the
three-year-old gelding Doane. He won with him
in the Bay State and Orange County Circuits and
made him a champion. Will Snow landed the Trot-
ter & Pacer Stake, the largest on the half-mile
tracks, with his three-year-old Helter Skelter. This
was only a come-back for him. Before, he located at
Endicott he had many a star, the brightest pair being
Hal B and his sister Fanny Dillard.

180 RACEALONG

BUILDING A CHAMPION

Of those who saw Hollyrood Bob win the three-
year-old trot in 2:04% at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1918,
how many stopped to consider that the production of
this horse represents in the first four generations
the combined efforts of twenty-six breeders extend-
ing over a period of eighty years and whose
establishments were located in eleven states. One
link in the chain of inheritance was found in Que-
bec by a Yankee peddler.

An examination of Hollyrood Bob's tabulated
pedigree for four removes shows that of the thirty
individuals appearing in same fifteen were bred
in Kentucky where he was foaled, three in New York
state, two each in Michigan and Iowa, one each in
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, California, Ten-
nessee and Vermont, while one is unknown as no
one ever produced any evidence to show where Jenny
Lind, the dam of Tackey, came from, although she
is credited to a horse called Bellefounder.

In order to illustrate this the name and address
when known, of the breeder of each horse in this
pedigree and the horse or horses bred by him, is
appended :

Breeder :
J. L. Dodge, Lexington, Ky., (Hollyrood Bob,
2:043/^).

First Remove:
D. D. Streeter, Kalamazoo, Mich. (Peter the Great,
2:063/4).

RACEALONG 181

J. L. Dodge, Lexington, Ky. (Fanny Stanton, p.,

2:101/4).
Second Remove:
Alexander Davidson, Williamsport, Pa. (Pilot

Medium, 1597).
S. A. Brown & Co., Kalamazoo, Mich. (Santos).
A. Smith McCann, Lexington, Ky. (Bingen, 2:061/4).
Standard Trotting Horse Co., Kenosha, Wis. (Re-

dinda, p., 2:071/4).
Third Remove :
R. F. Galloway, Suffern, N. Y. (Happy Medium,

2:321/2).
C. G. McHatton, St. Louis, Mo. (Tackey, 2:26).
J. B. Richardson, Lexington, Ky. (Grand Sentinel,

2:271/4).
Mrs. Dr. Greenfield, Guthrie, Ky. (Shadow alias

Lady Duncan).
Leland Stanford, Menlo Park, Cal. (May King,

2:211/4).
A. Smith McCann, Lexington, Ky. (Young Miss).
A. J. Alexander, Spring Station, Ky. (Redwald

6178).
C. S. Miller, Muscatine, low^a. (Adinda).

Fourth Remove:
Jonas Seely, Sugar Loaf, N. Y. (Hambletonian 10).
L. B. Adams, Middletown, Vt. (Princess 2:30).
L. Gray, Graybolt, Ky. (Pilot Jr. 12) .
Name of breeder unknown (Jenny Lind).
Edwin Thorne, Millbrook, N. Y. (Sentinel, 2:293/4).
J. B. Richardson, Lexington, Ky. (Maid of Lex-
ington) .

182 RACEALONG

R. P. Madison, Clarksville, Tenn. (Octoroon Jr.).

N. Barber, Clarksville, Tenn. (Dixie).

Charles Backman, Stony Ford, N. Y. (Electioneer

125).
F. G. Hill, Paris, Ky. (May Queen 2:20).
Simmons Bros., Lexington, Ky. (Young Jim, 2009).
A. Smith McCann, Lexington, Ky. (Miss Mam-

brino) .
A. J. Alexander, Spring Station, Ky. (Lord Russell

4677, Primrose, Attorney 1065).
Chas. S. Miller, Muscatine, Iowa (Sally).

The list of names recalls many who did yeoman
service in founding the light harness breed. Jonas
Seely is the most remote. As the breeder of Ham-
bletonian he will always find a place in horse history,
still his estimate of the colt and his crippled dam
can be easily fixed as he sold both of them to W. M.
Rysdyk for $125. Of the other New Yorkers Chas.
Backman and Edwin Thorne maintained important
farms and sent out a splendid array of stock to rep-
resent them. They stood on a par with A. J. Alex-
ander who inherited Woodburn Farm in Kentucky
from his brother and whose stud contributed the
Harold and Alexander's Abdallah strains which
appear in the pedigree of Hollyrood Bob. Leland
Stanford, Governor of California and United States
Senator from that state, built on broad lines at Palo
Alto where Electioneer contributed the speed which
his owner exploited so successfully.

Of the others S. A. Brown is the most prominent.
He made it possible for D. D. Streeter to breed Peter

RACEALONG 183

the Great. In the early seventies while in Tennessee,
S. A. Brown purchased Lady Duncan. She had been
brought from Guthrie, Ky., to Nashville and trotted
a trial in 2:33. Brown shipped Lady Duncan to
Michigan and after three or four starts found that
she was too high keyed for the track so he bred her
to Grand Sentinel. The produce of this mare, whose
name was changed to Shadow, was a filly. She
was named Santos and consigned to one of Fasig's
sales at Cleveland, Ohio. She was purchased by
J. L Case of Racine, Wis. He sold her through an-
other sale to H. D. McKinney, Jamesville, Wis., and
he in turn traded her back to S. A. Brown. After
mating Santos with Ambassador, Brown sold her to
D. D. Streeter and in 1925 she produced Peter the
Great.

The Iowa inheritance of Hollyrood Bob goes back
to the genesis of the trotting turf as Topsy, the
first link, was got by Green's Bashaw, a horse whose
dam was a half sister of Hambletonian. She in turn
produced Misty by the thoroughbred horse Jones-
boro, a son of Lexington. From Misty the line of
inheritance runs through Sally by Tramp, a son
of Gage's Logan. Sally was mated with Attorney
and produced Adinda as well as the trotter Mabel
A. that made a record of 2:23l^ at the Cleveland
Grand Circuit meeting in 1886. As Atlanta, an-
other daughter of Attorney, produced Alix, 2:03%,
a Wisconsin breeder purchased Adinda and mated
her with Redwald, a son of Lord Russell, brother
to Maud S., 2:08%. He expected to get a trotter

184 RACEALONG

but found when the test of racing was applied that
the ambhng gait of Attorney was in the ascendant
and the foal passed into turf history as Redinda
with a pacing record of 2:07l^. In time this mare
became the property of John L. Dodge. When he
retired her she was sent to the court of Bingen
and in due time produced Joe Dodge as well as the
pacers King Cole, 2:051/4, and Fanny Stanton,
2:101/4. The last named is the dam of Hollyrood
Bob. In time Hollyrood Bob after being rejected by
his breeder on account of a few of his foals having
ring bones became a leading sire, his list of perform-
ers including Hollyrood Diet, Hollyrood Walter and
Hollyrood Pat.

SULKY STYLES

Each of the hundreds of drivers who are seen in
the sulky during the racing season has a style of his
own. A few are extreme. Some lean back so far
if the reins snapped they would fall out. Others tip
forward and still others sit so erect that they look
like soldiers with a ramrod up their backs.

Style in the sulky, however, is seen when four
or five horses are making a head and head finish.
The battle ground is between the distance and the
wire. That is the whiz section. While it is being
covered a few of the drivers throw the reins away
and go to the bat. The regulars who have been
at that point many a time steady their mounts and

RACEALONG 185

give them a tap of the whip or rouse them with the
reins.

Many an important race is lost or won in the
last few strides. A sample of this was seen at
Goshen in 1928 in the Review Stake. In the third
heat of the race Stokes let up for an instant with
Gaylworthy and Vic Fleming nipped him at the wire
with Guy Abbe. This was one of Fleming's charac-
teristic finishes. He came with a flash in the last
few^ strides just as Garrison did on the gallopers in
the old days when Stokes, who was making the pace
took it for granted that he was beaten.

Another sample of Fleming's work was seen in
the deciding heat of the $25,000 pace at Windsor in
1928. Prior to that heat Grattan Bars was almost
down and out with the thumps. Fleming wanted to
draw him but the owner shook his head.

When the word was given Widow Grattan went
off and made the pace. Fleming trailed and did not
force the leader to race up to her clip. He left the
decision to a brush and Grattan Bars when called
on paced the last eighth better than a two minute
gait.

Head and head finishes are what the spectators en-
joy. It is in them the reinsmen have an opportunity
to show their skill and style of driving. In 1927
Millie W. and Wayne Hal had more of them than
are usually seen between the same horses. For
nine or ten weeks this pair carried the battle to each
other and while Millie W. won most of the heats
some of them were so close that only the judges

186 RACEALONG

could name the winner. There was no whipping or
slashing in any of these miles. Hodson and McGrath
had their mounts on their toes all the way and flying
at the finish. As the pair of blacks flashed by the
stand Hodson sat erect while McGrath tipped for-
ward a trifle as he drives with a crouch.

McGrath also exhibited a number of samples of
clever driving in 1928 behind Shirley Harvester. In
heat after heat he laid away letting Plucky and the
others make the pace to the head of the stretch.
Then he turned the black filly loose at a two minute
gait and won by a narrow margin.

This is something that can be done only with
a free going horse that has perfect manners. It
is only play for them to trim those which go up
against the bit for three-quarters of a mile and ask
for a ride home.

The most dangerous drivers in a race are rated
among those who let their horses go guideless with
the reins flopping. State Post was an extreme sam-
ple of this kind when he had Trumpet. Usually a
horse under such conditions will take care of him-
self unless someone makes a misstep or swerves.
Then there is usually a wreck.

In his day Scott Hudson set the style of being
a pacemaker. With him each post in the fence was
a winning post. As he had stout horses, Scott usually
won. Monroe Salisbury also handed front runner
orders to George Star, John Kelley, Andy McDowell,
and Charley De Ryder when they were driving for
him. If they were beaten there were no complaints

RACEALONG 187

unless they pulled out and let a trailer through as
McDowell did with Altao when Andrews slipped up
behind him with Bouncer in the Transylvania.

Leese also adopted the front runner plan with
Spencer in the Hambletonian Stake and the Ken-
tucky Futurity. In the first heat of the Hamble-
tonian he sent Spencer away from the wire under
the whip and grabbed the pole on the turn. The
quarter was passed in 29 1^ seconds. No one got to
Spencer after that point although Guy Abbe was
at his wheel at the finish of the second heat.

Spencer also made the pace in the Kentucky Fu-
turity. He led all the way in both heats except for
a few strides in the stretch in the second mile
when Etta Volo showed in front.

Cox drives the other way. In 1927 at Lexington
when Fireglow was at his best he allowed Scotland
and Spencer to take the track and remain in front
until they ran down. Then he pulled out and won.
In the heat in which he made his record of 2:04
Fireglow trailed Scotland to the distance. In this
heat Spencer carried Scotland to the quarter in 2914
seconds and hung on until the pair turned into the
home stretch.

As a rule White makes the pace in colt races. This
was how he raced Mr. McElwyn when he won the
Kentucky Futurity from Guy Richard in 2:02,
2:021/2- He also tried the same plan with Aileen
Guy when she met Etta Druien and, Kahla Dillon
in the Transylvania in 1927. In that event Aileen
Guy and Etta Druien made the pace with Kahla

188 RACEALONG

Dillon in the hole. When the leaders ran out of gas
Kahla Dillon won, making one of the biggest upsets
ever seen at Lexington.

Geers was one of the first drivers that took up
trailing. Now every one is doing it. Sometimes it is
almost impossible to get anyone to go out and make
the pace. At such times the clip is so slow that the
race is left to a brush at the finish. This takes the
zip out of the feature but it is one of the things that
cannot be avoided if there are not one or two front
runners in the field.

BAY STATE CIRCUIT OF 1928

The fifteenth renewal of the Bay State Circuit
went on record as the wet series. Five of the seven
meetings were interfered with by rain while at
Greenfield and Springfield the meetings were cut to
one day.

The colt races for the trotters and pacers were the
most attractive events in the circuit but they were
overshadowed at both Avon and Windsor by the
?10,000 and the $25,000 pace. The latter, which
was won by Grattan Bars after a stout battle with
Widow Grattan was one of the best races ever seen
on a New England track. Every feature in con-
nection with it passed off without a ripple.

The two $10,000 events at Cherry Park were won
by Gordon Dillon and Widow Grattan. The latter
paced in 2:04%.

In the two-year-old trots Miss Modesty and Bin-

RACEALONG 189

gen McKlyo were the winners. In the three-year-old
trots Plucky met Shirley Harvester. McGrath won
with her at Greenfield, Avon and Windsor. Plucky
scored at Sturbridge, Stafford Springs, and North-
ampton where he trotted in 2:09% after losing a
heat to Georgia Volo in 2:08V2-

Both of the two-year-old pacing races were won
by the Belwin colt Better Win after losing heats to
Moko McKlyo, Tartan Maid and Plumb Center. At
Windsor, Better Win paced in 2:13%.

Blushing Beauty dominated the three-year-old
pace. At Sturbridge she won in 2:10, at Stafford
Springs in 2:093/4, at Avon in 2:08%, and at Wind-
sor in 2:09%. At Springfield, Marjorie Brooke and
Lela Frisco carried the battle to the Ortolan Ax-
worthy filly and won. The first heat went to Mar-
jorie Brooke in 2:09% and the second to Lela Frisco
in 2:09. At that point Blushing Beauty was drawn
and Lela Frisco defeated her stable companion. An-
other battle was seen at Northampton where Blush-
ing Beauty won the first heat from Lela Frisco in
2:071/2- A break and an ill timed drive put Beauty
out of the running on the second trip. In the third
she came back and after pacing the first half of
the mile in 1:02% won comfortably in 2:091/2-

Gordon Dillon won four of his six starts in the
circuit, his fastest trip being in 2:06% at Avon. At
Stafford Springs and Windsor he drew a position
in the second tier. He did not take kindly to a
bunch of horses in front of him.

Bronx won five out of six starts. His only skip

190 RACEALONG

was at Springfield. He was raced by Bruise who
also won with Gleaming Silk and Lela Frisco. Bee
Worthy won the five free-for-all trots for Fred
Hyde. He also picked up a race at Sturbridge with
Orto Manor.

Hodson scored with Bonnie M. at Sturbridge and
Northampton, with Hollyrood Dick at the last three
meetings, with Bert Abbe at Windsor and Northamp-
ton, and with Summers Worthy at Sage Park.

Crozier won two races with Volo Rico and one
each with Guy Worthy and Silver Weather. Mabrey
won three events with Widow Grattan and one with
Scott Grattan after he was purchased from the
Scott stable for which he won at Stafford Springs.

Mosher won with Chattanooga in 2:06%, Bin Mc-
Klyo and Flambo. Garrison landed the $10,000 trot
at Windsor with Cub Ortolan after Man Direct and
Oscawanna had each grabbed a heat.

A stubborn contest was seen at Northampton in
the 2:10 pace. The first heat went to Wayne Hal in
2:06. On the next trip he forced Hollyrood Jacque-
lin out in 2:061/2- Jeanette Royal won the next two
heats in 2:06, 2:061/2.

RACEALONG 191

PETER THE GREAT AND BINGEN

Boston has been a center of light harness racing
since 1818, the year Boston Blue was shipped on a
sailing vessel to New York, where he trotted the
first recorded mile in three minutes. When the
Morgan trotters began to appear on the turf, the
best of them were seen at Riverside, Beacon and
Mystic Parks. Vermont contributed Ethan Allen and
a few of Daniel Lambert's get, while New Hampshire
sent the champion stallion Fearnaught. Maine kept
the market supplied with the get of General Knox,
which included Camors and Lady Maud, as well as
the best of the Drew, Eaton, Brandywine, and
Morrill stock. They were in turn followed by Young
Rolfe, which dropped dead in a race at Mystic Park,
and Nelson.

While these performers were passing, H. S.
Russell took an active interest in racing and ap-
peared as the owner of Fearnaught, and Smuggler,
the first stallion to trot in 2 : 151/4 and one of the few
trotters that defeated Goldsmith Maid after she
reached championship form. When Colonel Russell
retired, his brother-in-law J. Malcolm Forbes, who
was for years very active in yachting and identified
with several winners of the America's Cup, estab-
lished a farm at Ponkapog and decided to race and
breed trotters. One of his first selections was Arion,
for which he paid $125,000 after h^ startled the
world by trotting in 2:10% as a two-year-old to a
high wheel sulky. He was followed by Bingen, for

192 RACEALONG

which $8,000 was paid in his two-year-old form,
and Peter the Great, $20,000 being paid for him
after he won the Kentucky Futurity in 1898.

Fate had marked two of these stallions to be
leaders. At the start all eyes were turned towards
Arion, whose service fee was fixed at $2,500, and in
1898 when Nico won in 2:08l^ as a four-year-old
it looked as though he would be a successful sire.
Nico's death the following year stopped what looked
like the first two minute trotter.

In the interval Bingen raced to a record of 2:061/4
and sired a remarkable group of stallions. His list
included Admiral Dewey, Todd, Bingara, Binjolla, J.
Malcolm Forbes, The Exponent, Earl of Chatham,
Senator Hale, and Malcolm Forbes.

While Bingen was acquiring his reputation, Peter
the Great reduced his record to 2:07l^ and sired
the Kentucky Futurity winner Sadie Mac, 2:061^.
Notwithstanding this showing he in time, like
Godolphin Arabian in English turf history, was cast
aside and finally in 1903 Mr. Forbes sent him to the
New York auctions, where Peter Duryea purchased
him for $5,000. He shipped him to Kentucky, the
transfer proving the most fortunate move in the
history of the trotting turf since George Wilkes was
sent to that state in 1873.

There was no demonstration when Peter the
Great arrived at Lexington but when he left for
Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1917, after being sold for
$50,000 when twenty-three years old, the Kentucky
breeders knew that the world's leading sire of racing

R A C E A L 0 N G 193

speed was leaving the blue grass country. No sire
that ever lived got as much early and extreme speed
as Peter the Great. The horse that Boston rejected
became the leading sire of the world.

After the death of J. Malcolm Forbes, Bingen was
purchased by Arthur Parker. He got Uhlan 1:58
while located at his farm. Later on when Todd died
at the Bradley farm in New Jersey Bingen was pur-
chased to take his place. In a few years he was taken
to Kentucky where he died at Castleton Farm.

BISHOPED TROTTERS

To make an old horse seem younger by operating
on his teeth has been designated ''bishoping." The
term according to Youatt was taken ''from the name
of the scoundrel who first practiced it." Traders in
cheap horses have been bishoping them for years
but C. E. Metcalfe and those who were connected
with him in shipping horses to Denmark after the
close of the World War were the first who commer-
cialized it for the purpose of keeping trotters rac-
ing under the Danish rules.

Metcalfe was born in Wisconsin. After being lo-
cated at Warren, III, he drifted to France. In 1896
he was in Paris. At that time he was associated with
H. 0. Heffner who was mixed up with Bob Kneebs
when he rung Bethel in Germany and C. W. Dobler.

In September, 1896, Dobler, who was then at War-
ren, 111., purchased Bertie R. 2:12l^. He shipped her
to France where she was known as Adria. W. E.

194 RACEALONG

Weeks was located there at that time. He was train-
ing trotters for Alphonse Terry. As Adria raced too
well for the story that went with her, Weeks wrote
the National Trotting Association in regard to her.
The investigation which followed established the
identity of the mare.

While it was in progress Adria was shipped to
England where Metcalfe got possession of the mare
and raced her as Polly G. He subsequently brought
her to the United States. When an application to
reinstate Bertie R. was denied she was sent to Ken-
tucky. Bertie R. died in Kentucky at the Patchen
Wilkes farm.

After this splurge Metcalf dropped out of sight.
At the beginning of the World War he was living in
Berlin. While making his way out of Germany in
an effort to get to America Metcalfe crossed Den-
mark. He saw that the country was prosperous and
that the followers of racing were paying large sums
for trotters. At the same time Metcalfe learned that
under the Danish rules horses could not race after
they were ten years old. They were then retired to
the breeding ranks.

When Metcalfe arrived in New York he got in
touch with C. C. Cramer and made arrangements to
have horses exported in his name. Metcalfe knew
that on account of his connection with Bertie R. it
was necessary for him to remain in the background
while on American soil.

Their first venture was a chestnut mare called
Lettie Jaguar. She was exported in 1918, represent-

RACEALONG 195

ed as being bred by Dr. H. Z. Frisbie of Elkland,
Pa., and owned by Cramer. This mare was never
identified but Frisbie admitted that he never saw
her and knew nothing about her.

In 1920 Cramer and Metcalfe shipped a few more
to Denmark. This lot included King Ivan, subse-
quently identified as Manuelito 2:14% by Manrico,
and two mares named Loretta Charlton and Alice
Jeremiah, alleged to be sisters and bred by Bert
Loop of Nelson, Pa., which is five miles from Elk-
land. Dr. Frisbie was given as the breeder of King
Ivan while some one wrote a letter for Loop to
Copenhagen, in which it was set forth that he owned
a three-year-old brother to Loretta Charlton and
Alice Jeremiah which he drove in 2:121/4 over a half-
mile track.

Bert Loop was the son of a man who kept a livery
stable in Nelson. Later he had a barber shop in Elk-
land and Elmira, N. Y. He owned a few horses, the
fastest being Donisham 2:09% which he purchased
from L. W. Fenton. Fenton died in 1917 but was
for a time associated with Metcalfe.

The mares Loretta Charlton and Alice Jeremiah
were found to be Amy Frisco 2:07l^ by San Fran-
cisco and Golden Axworthy 2:lll^ by Morgan Ax-
worthy. Amy Frisco was foaled in 1911 but when
she arrived in Denmark in 1920 she had a six-year-
old mouth. Her teeth had been bishoped and had the
appearance of a horse that was foaled in 1914. Gold-
en Axworthy was foaled in 1912 but her mouth
showed her to be a five-year-old in 1920. A change

196 RACEALONG

of three years was also made in the teeth of Man-
uehto. This horse was not raced in Denmark, He
was sent to England.

In the spring of 1921 Dr. H. Z. Frisbie of Elkland,
Pa., again appeared as the owner of a horse called
Advance Guard which he affirmed was bred by Ben-
jamin Rathbun, a farmer living near Nelson, Pa. This
horse was represented as being foaled in 1915 and
Frisbie signed all of the papers. Later on Advance
Guard was identified as Belgic 2:08i/4 by Bingara.
He was foaled in 1912, but by bishoping his teeth
the horse passed the veterinaries as a six-year-old
or as being foaled in 1915.

In 1921 when Belgic was shipped as Advance
Guard C. C. Cramer rounded out the consignment by
sending over Pretty Baby 2:lSy.i by Junior Stokes
as Queen Ivan, May Shawbay by Shawbay as Blue
Bird, and Last Sheet 2:13i/4 by Mainsheet as Ida
Tearolaine. The teeth of the last named were
bishoped to show that she was six years old instead
of nine. In other words, he made this mare appear
as being foaled in 1915 instead of 1912. At the same
time Cramer sent along the chestnut mare Mabel
Worthy 2:15i/i,'by Ortolan Axworthy under her true
name and wrote L. C. Borup of Copenhagen to buy
her.

In the spring of 1922 a horse called Jack Demp-
sey was shipped. He was alleged to be bred by G. M.
Madsen of Hudson, N. Y. This horse was represent-
ed as being foaled in 1916 and being by Hollyrood
Dan, dam Lilly Sligo 2:161/4 by Shgo. Hollyrood Dan

R A C E A L 0 N G 197

was represented as being owned by N. C. Snell and
Lilly Sligo by G. M. Madsen. All of the mail ad-
dressed to them at Hudson, N. Y., was delivered in
C. E. Metcalfe's box at the Spring Valley Fruit
Farm, No one could find either man. Later it was
learned that Metcalfe used the name N. C. Snell
when purchasing the mare Toddy Garner. It was
also set forth over the signature of G. M. Madsen
that he purchased Lilly Sligo from John McGuire
of New York. McGuire bought her at the Fasig Tip-
ton Co. Sale in 1905 and sold her in the summer of
that year. He died in 1910.

On these and other representations the horse
called Jack Dempsey was registered as non-standard
in the American Trotting Register. A survey of the
application and papers that went with it showed
that the mythical person called N. C. Snell pur-
chased Hollyrood Dan from J. W. Clark of Grand
Rapids, Mich., April 21, 1915, the name of the
original buyer being erased on the receipt and the
name '*N. C. Snell" substituted. Further on under
date of August 25, 1924, N. C. Snell certified that
George M. Madsen bred Lilly Sligo 2:161/4 by SHgo
to his horse Hollyrood Dan on March 25, 1916, and
George M. Madsen certified under date of August 30,
1924, that the colt from the mating called Jack
Dempsey was foaled February 20, 1916. Further
comment is unnecessary as it was not possible to
purchase a horse at Grand Rapids, Mich., on April
21, 1915, and have him the sire of a' colt that was
dropped at Hudson, N. Y., February 20, 1916.

198 RACEALONG

To offset these bogus representations and follow-
ing a clue that the horse called Jack Dempsey was
in reahty Red Bon 2:07l^ by Bonnivard in 1925 I
went with Dick McMahon to Copenhagen, Denmark,
where he examined the horse raced as Jack Demp-
sey and pronounced him Red Bon. McMahon pur-
chased Red Bon for Chauncey H. Sears, Fall River,
Mass., during the Illinois State Fair at Springfield,
111., in 1918, and had him in his stable until Novem-
ber, 1921, when the horse was sold at the Fasig
Tipton Co. Sale in New York. Red Bon was foaled
in 1914. Before being shipped from New York his
teeth were bishoped to show that he was foaled in
1916, or in other words that he was six years old
instead of eight in 1922.

TIPTON, THE BUILDER

Ed A. Tipton put the ''trot" into the association
at Lexington. Prior to his arrival in 1887 the meet-
ings held in the blue grass city were on a par with
a county fair. A few wanted the status continued
even when the Wilkes boom was bringing thousands
of dollars to Kentucky every week. They were willing
to produce the goods without going to the trouble of
displaying them to the best advantage and under the
most favorable conditions. A few of them also hesi-
tated before extending a welcome hand to the young
man from Bourbon County when he showed a desire
to change from the revenue service to racing, while
at the same time they tossed him another chill by

RACEALONG 199

fixing his salary at about what an office boy com-
mands. That did not stop Tipton. He had made up
his mind to be secretary of the Lexington race track.
Also when he made good and asked for more money,
instead of giving it to him he was told to get it from
the privileges. He did.

The Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders' Associa-
tion was organized in 1873. During its first fifteen
years its premiums for racing did not amount to
as much as is now given for ten days each year, while
the northern visitors instead of seeing contests of
the quality which might be expected dropped in to
see the Kentucky and Lexington stakes trotted and
put in the balance of their time visiting the stock
farms.

When Tipton located in Lexington he saw that the
day was coming when the breeder would require
more than a pedigree and a colt on the end of a
halter strap to command the high dollar. In a word,
he believed that the buyer would soon ask what a
colt could do in the way of racing. At the same time
he was convinced that in order to make the colts'
speed worth something it was necessary to increase
the earning capacity of the trotter in Kentucky.

In order to get Lexington into the sunlight he
succeeded in having the $7,735 premiums of 1887
increased to $11,380 in 1888 and to $25,965 in 1889
when the Transylvania was established as a $5,000
event. It became the all aged championship event of
the year.

In 1890 the race program at Lexington amounted

200 RACEALONG

to $28,095, a stallion race which was won by Sim-
mocolon and a free-for-all trot being added features.
In 1891 the purses jumped to $44,010 while in 1892
they dropped to $38,675. The 1893 program called
for $41,350, the Stallion Representative Stake which
was afterwards known as the Kentucky Futurity
appearing in the list of events. It was won by Oro
Wilkes. In 1894 there was an advance to $61,080
when Buzetta won the Futurity. It was worth $27,-
480. The premiums continued to increase annually
until in 1928 they amounted to $90,000.

By opening these events Lexington and other
cities tided the light harness racing industry over
the lean years in the early nineties when hundreds
of breeders learned that a trotter required more than
a standard pedigree to maintain his value. During
the pinch the stock farms that had been building
pedigrees on time records fell by the wayside and
the blood lines which they exploited went with them.
Performance took the place of pedigree. If the
trotters that raced were well bred so much the
better but without speed and race horse qualities a
standard bred horse had no value except as an in-
dividual.

Under Tipton's management the meeting at Lex-
ington passed from a re-union of local breeders to
one of national importance. The residents who were
not directly interested in racing also knew that some-
thing was being done at the ''trots" on the hill,
still the rank and file never showed a disposition
to wake up and boost one of the best assets of

RACEALONG 201

Fayette county, the gem of the blue grass country.
Tipton put Lexington on the map as a light harness
racing center. The standard was maintained during
his absence in Montana and New York. In 1917 he
again took up the task and continued until the close
of 1926.

EASTON

[

In 1918 the roan gelding Easton was the busiest
three-year-old trotter seen on the Grand Circuit
tracks since Monroe Salisbury came down the line
with Expressive in 1894, when he started her in
eighteen races of which she won ten, while she was
also second in four, third in three, and unplaced in
one, the latter being the event from which she was
drawn in New York in order to be shipped to Terre
Haute to fill her engagement the following week.
While Easton did not reach Expressive's formidable
score, he made eleven starts, and at the close of the
season his card showed that he had won five races.
He was also awarded second money in one, third in
three, and fourth in two.

Easton's first start in 1918 was made in the fastest
three-year-old race of the year. Hollyrood Bob won
it in 2:04%. On the day of the race, Easton was up
to a mile in 2:11, and while he was timed separately
in one of the heats in 2:06 and was awarded second
money, the effort put him back for several weeks.
He was kept going, however, and filled his engage-
ments at Kalamazoo, Toledo, Philadelphia, Pough-

202 RACEALONG

keepsie, Columbus, where he finished in front of
David Guy in one of the heats of the futurity which
was won by Peter June, and at Lexington, where
he won the Kentucky Stake from OHve Fant, Miss
Dewey Watts, The Divorcee and Hollyrood Bob in
2:061/2.

The above engagements were followed by four
races at Atlanta and Macon, all of which Easton won
in straight heats.

Easton was an inbred Wilkes, He was by The
Tramp, a brother to Jay Hawker, out of Ruth Bond
by The Bondsman, both his sire and the sire of his
dam being out of the Grand Sentinel mare Sorrento.
Beyond this pair, Easton traced to the Michigan
strains, which L. C. Webb took to Kentucky, his
grandam Quickstep in addition to having a record
of 2:17% being by Pilot Medium, out of Trixey by
Louis Napoleon, while his third dam Maggie Stone
was by Owosso Prince out of Dolly by General
Thomas. Easton was purchased as a yearling by W.
S. Harlan of Lockart, Ala. He gave him a two-year-
old record of 2:1314 at Nashville. This was reduced
to 2 :06i/2 in a race in 1918. It was also at that time
the world's record for a three-year-old gelding.

RACEALONG 203

WINNING DRIVERS IN 1928

The returns for 1928 showed Sep Palin at the top
of the list with forty-nine victories to his credit,
while during the campaign he also made world's rec-
ords with Winnipeg and Contender. The first named
reduced the record for pacing geldings to 1:57%.
The McGregor the Great youngster cut the two-year-
old record for trotting geldings to 2:05l^, a mark
that was equalled by the Calumet Farm representa-
tive Trusty Brewer.

Fifteen members of Palin's stable were returned
as winners. Of this lot Winnipeg and Riley were the
most successful, each of them being credited with
eight victories. Of the others Single D. won seven
races, Labrador four, Ellie Trabue four, and The
Virginia Senator three. Palin's other winners were
Peter Poem, Princess Iroquois, Petroguy, St. Guy,
Christie Mac, Layton Direct, and Contender.

Second place in the group of winning drivers went
to William R. Flemming. His campaign was Hmited
to the New England tracks and New Brunswick
which he visited while following the Maritime Cir-
cuit. Friscotanna was the star of his stable. She
won eleven out of thirteen races and dropped into
the 2:10 list at Brockton where she won in 2:081/4.
Margaret Grattan was her most conspicuous stable
companion. She won nine first monies in twelve
starts. Flemming also won five races with Blue Jay,
four each with Millie W. and Alta Direct, two each
with Chestnut Dillon and Joe McKinney, and one

204 RACEALONG

each with Argot Napoleon, Early Todd and Lela
Frisco, the last named being transferred to his out-
fit from the Brusie stable prior to the Brockton
meeting.

Twelve of the horses trained by Dr. Parshall at
Urbana, Ohio, scored in 1928. Al B. was the most
successful. He won seven races. Of the others Volo
Peter won six, Easter Lilly four, Lauderdale, Frog-
gie, The Flying Parson, and Queen Abbe two each,
while Lecco Jr., Josephine Volo, Robin Hood, Rose
M. and the three-year-old filly Belle Evans each
made one score. They placed the Parshall score at
thirty.

Harry Brusie finished one point behind him. He
made his score of twenty-nine with eight horses.
Of his lot the three-year-old filly Lela Frisco by San
Francisco was the leader. He won eight races with
her before she was transferred to Flemming. Harry
Brusie also drove Bronx in six of the eleven races
placed to his credit. He started him on the way to
victory. Brusie also won five races with Azure Volo,
giving him the half mile track race record of 2:07
for three-year-old trotters at Brockton, four races
with the two-year-old colt Volomo, two with Neil
Volo, and one each with Gleaming Silk, Guy Leyburn
and Heatherbell.

Will Hodson had twenty-nine winners. Hollyrood
Dick proved his best mount. He won thirteen races.
His other winners were Bonnie M., Summersworthy,
Bert Abbe, Tramp Union, Jimmy Strathmore and
Bennett Volo. While at Lexington he dropped Bert

R A C E A L 0 N G 205

Abbe into the two minute list with a mark of 1 :59i/i.

Will Dickerson comes next in the list with twenty-
eight races. His starts were limited to the Grand
and Orange County Circuits in which he won twelve
out of thirteen races with Hollyrood Colin, five each
with Cinema and Guy Ozark, four with Highland
Scott, one with the two-year-old colt Caretaker, and
one with Etta Volo which he drove for Ben White
when she defeated Spencer in the Horseman Stake.

When Vic Fleming hung up his sulky after the
Toledo overcoat meeting he had won twenty-seven
races. Grattan Bars was his most profitable pupil.
This horse landed eight races, three of them being
the $25,000 fixtures at Kalamazoo, Toledo and Wind-
sor. Fleming's other winners were Callie Direct,
Frisco Star, Myrtle Baxter, Allan, Fine Girl, The
Royal Lady, Raven Azoff, Mazie Brooke, Trumpet,
Minnie Wallace, and Guy Abbe with which he won
the Review Stake at Goshen and finished second to
Spencer in the Hambletonian Stake at Syracuse.

During the latter part of August, Lyman Brusie
took over the Woody Hill Farm stable and started
on a trip to the fairs. From that time until he
scored his last win at Brockton with Bronx, Lyman
won twenty-seven races. The returns show that he
won six races with Flambo, five with Lema Volo,
three with Bin McKlyo, two each with Neil Volo,
Heatherbell, Bronx, and Miss Ante, and one each
with Azure Volo, Pax Volo, Chattanooga, Joe Lewis
and Nancy Gentry. Four of this lot were members
of his father's stable while his showing jumped the

206 RACEALONG

number of winners in 1928 for Brusie and Son to
fifty-six.

Ed McGrath opened the season at Greenfield in
June. He had twenty-six winners, the leader being
the three-year-old filly Shirley Harvester. She won
eight races. Of his other winners McGrath scored in
six races with Hollyrood Mark, five with Tennessee
Maid, twice with Gordon Dillon, and once each with
Wayne Hal, Scott Grattan, Madam Pompadour, and
Annie P.

The three-year-old filly Blushing Beauty proved
the leader in the Blue Ridge stable trained by Walter
Breitenfield. She won eight races. The other win-
ners in this outfit were Hollyrood Jacqueline, Bob
Maxey, Fantom, Beautiful Peter, Subito McKlyo,
and Doc Newman. They made Breitenfield's score
for the season nineteen, a figure which dropped him
in ahead of Charley Valentine who won eighteen
races with Colonel Strong, High Noon, Captain Volo,
Lee Ongreat, Elsie S., and San Guy.

During 1928 W. T. Crozier raced over the eastern
half-mile tracks. He won sixteen races. Of that
number Volo Rico won seven. Silver Weather four,
and Guy Worthy three. He also scored with Hayes
at Endicott and Virginia J. Dillon at Rutland. At
Stafford Springs, Volo Rico reduced the track record
for pacers to 2:05 while at Middletown, Silver
Weather was beaten a head in 2:03l^ by Highland
Scott.

After winning five races with Louis Direct Fred
Egan gave him a record of 1:581/2 at Lexington.

RACEALONG 207

His other winners in 1928 were Lullawat, Egan,
Stone Mountain, Bogalusa the Great, and Hazleton
which he drove in two races for Walter Cox. Egan
had fifteen winners in 1928, Marvin Childs fourteen,
Nat Ray and Harry Stokes each thirteen, and Wal-
ter Cox twelve, his leader being Walter Dear, the
leading money winning two-year-old trotter.

In the matter of winning money, W. Leese of
Monroe, N. Y., topped the list. His first winning
mount in 1928 was at the Goshen mile track meet-
ing where he finished in front with Dewey McKin-
ney. The following week at Syracuse he won the
Hambletonian Stake with Spencer and the Wet
Weather track stake with Walter Dear. At Indian-
apolis Leese won again with Dewey McKinney while
he substituted behind Winnipeg and Contender
after Palin was injured in the Fox stake. Leese
made his last appearance at Lexington. At that
point he won the Kentucky Futurity with Spencer,
the two-year-old division of the same event with
Volomite, and a class race with Gilda Gray. Also
after the close of the meeting he gave Spencer a
time record of 1:59%, equalHng the world's record
for three-year-old trotters made by Mr. McElwyn
in 1924.

208 RACEALONG

FLORIDA PRODUCTS

In 1921 when Frank Ellis severed his connection
with the Pastime Stable and moved to Orlando with
Ben White as trainer, he started a movement which
resulted in establishing a winter colony at Seminole
Park, located about halfway between Orlando and
Sanford.

In 1928 the Orlando half-mile track which was
used for training up to that time was cut into city
lots. It was planned by the Michigan blacksmith,
Peter V. Johnston, who banked the fires on his
forge and went to the races with such material as
Piedmont, Johnston, the champion pacer, and Peter
the Great. When time began to leave white marks
in his hair, Johnston went south for the winter,
stopping at Orlando. He and a few others laid out
the track where White's champions were given their
preliminary work. Their showing prompted others
to carry on their winter training south of the frost
line.

White made his first trip to the races with Florida
.trained colts in 1922. His leaders that year were
Jane Revere in the two-year-old events and Lee
Worthy in the three-year-old fixtures. They were
the best.

In 1923 White invaded the northern tracks with
Mr. McElwyn in the two-year-old events, Lee Wor-
thy in the free for alls, and Anna Bradford's Girl
in the three-year-old pacing races. The last named
made a two-year-old trotting record of 2:08% the

RACEALONG 209

preceding year. When shifted to a pace Anna Brad-
ford's Girl won all the way down the line and pulled
up at Lexington with a record of 2:01. Mr. McElwyn
after winning a number of engagements made a rec-
ord of 2:04 and Lee Worthy raced in 2:02V2-

White had a remarkable group of youngsters in
1924. He dominated the three-year-old events with
Mr. McElwyn and after the Grand Circuit closed
gave him a record of 1:59%. For the two-year-old
events he had Sumatra, Aileen Guy, and Poppy.

Aileen Guy was White's leader in the three-year-
old races in 1925. Charm and StaUion Belle were
his best two-year-olds but neither of them could
catch Peter Maltby, another graduate of the Orlando
winter training colony.

In 1926 Ben White had a clever lot of two-year-old
trotters. Ruth M. Chenault was the best. She won
all of her engagements. The other two-year-olds in
the stable included Great Atlantic, a stake winner
at Goshen, losola's Worthy, and Gray Brewer. Charm
took the word in the three-year-old events which
were won by Guy McKinney.

losola's Worthy and Kashmir, two of White's
pupils, won the three-year-old fixtures in 1927. The
Belwin filly scored in the Matron and Champion Stal-
lion Stakes. After they were disposed of losola's
Worthy went to the front. Her last two starts were
in the Kentucky Futurity and Hambletonian Stake.
She won both of them and made a record of 2:03%.

In 1928 the members of White's stable were scat-
tered all over the lot. On race day Guy Heasley

210 RACEALONG

put in all of his spare time looking for reinsmen to
drive Alma Lee, Bob Galloway, Hayes, Trusty
Brewer, Fullworthy, Gaylworthy, Red Aubrey, and
Etta Volo. Dickerson defeated Spencer with the sis-
ter to Peter Maltby at Indianapolis and almost
caught him in the deciding heat of the Kentucky
Futurity. White drove Scotland, Blonde Lady, Mar-
garet Belwina, and Benelwyn. The last named won
the $10,000 trot at Syracuse and reduced the four-
year-old race record to 2:01V2-

White's leaders in 1929 were the Mr. McElwyn
trio of two-year-old trotters, Main McElwyn, with
which he placed the world's record for foals of that
age at 2:02% in a race. Jessamine and Pola Mc-
Elwyn. He also scored with Ruth M. Chenault, giv-
ing her a record of 2:0314 when she won at Grand
Rapids and Yuma. Of the other members of his
stable the four-year-old colt Gaylworthy, won in
2:023^ and Full Worthy equalled his record of 2:02
in a race. Tom Berry also introduced a high class
two-year-old trotter that was trained in Florida
when he won at Grand Rapids over Main McElwyn
in 2:041/4 with the filly Hanover's Bertha. Later on
at Lexington in the first heat of the two-year-old
division of the Kentucky Futurity, the filly made a
new world's record of 2 : 03 14 and the event after the
meeting shoved the record for foals of her age down
to 2:02 in a trip against time.

RACEALONG 211

WHY GRANT WON SHILOH

''Buell saved Grant and his army at Shiloh," re-
marked Charles P. Warfield of Clarksville, Tenn.,
while he was assisting me in tracing the breeding of
the dam of Peter the Great. "After the close of the
war Major Overton of Nashville told me that Buell
would not have reached Pittsburgh Landing in time
to prevent Grant's defeat if three of Forrest's
troopers had burned a bridge as ordered.

''Grant was at Pittsburgh Landing on the Ten-
nessee River with 33,000 troops the first week of
April 1862. General Sidney Johnston was at Corinth
eighteen miles away with 40,000. Grant had sent to
Nashville for reinforcements. Johnston heard of it
and decided to attack.

''Before setting his army in motion Johnston gave
Forrest orders to burn all of the bridges between
the Tennessee River and Nashville. One of them was
over a rapid stream which could not be forded and
which would require at least a day to replace.

"Three troopers were detailed to burn this bridge.
Before they set it on fire a farmer named McEwen
joined them. He said that he was hauling supplies
across the bridge and that if they would leave it,
he would see that it was burned that night when
the work was completed. The troopers took McEwen
at his word and galloped away to join his command.

"McEwen did not burn the bridge-. Buell crossed
it and was able to join Grant in time to turn the
defeat of the day before into a victory."

212 RACEALONG

SIRES OF WINNERS IN 1928

The uniformity with which the leading sires are
credited with winners each year shows that the
breed of light harness horses has been established
and that breeders are using the families which are
improving at each remove. In 1927 Peter Volo led
with seventy winners. He was followed by Belwin
with sixty-six, Guy Axworthy with forty-three, and
San Francisco with forty. Their representatives also
included the leading racing material on both the mile
and half-mile tracks.

In 1928 Peter Volo again stood at the top of the
list. Guy Axworthy, his associate in the stud at Wal-
nut Hall Farm was in second place and Belwin third.

Peter Volo was foaled in 1911. He was retired to
the stud at the close of his fourth year when he
trotted in 2:02. For a time there was an active de-
mand for his services even when he was over-
shadowed by his sire at Patchen Wilkes Farm. Then
there was a lull followed by a transfer to Walnut
Hall Farm. This change did not improve matters
until Peter Maltby appeared in 1925. From that
time he led the parade.

In 1928 the following stallions were credited with
the number of winners which appear after their
names :

Peter Volo 66 Napoleon Direct 27

Guy Axworthy 59 Ortolan Axworthy 27

Belwin 54 The Harvester 21

Grattan Royal 45 Etawah 23

San Francisco 42 Dillon Axworthy 21

Chestnut Peter 35 Peter McKlyo 20

Peter the Great 32 Peter Scott 20

RACEALONG 213

No better example could be given of the value of
racing material by Peter Volo than a reference to the
Lexington 1928 meeting. On the opening day Sybil
Volo finished third to Dewey McKinney in 2:02V2»
Volomite won the two-year-old division of the Ken-
tucky Futurity in 2:07i/2> ^nd Volo Peter landed the
2:20 trot in 2:08. On the following day ElHe Trabue
and Bennett Volo were placed in the race which
Hollyrood Dick won in 2:07 and Etta Volo raced
Spencer to a neck in the deciding heat of the Ken-
tucky Futurity in 2:05% after getting her head in
front of him at the distance.

Brooke Volo was the next one to show. His best
trip was a second to Trampsmug in 2:04 in the
2:10 pace. The following day Hollyrood Colin won
the Ashland, Bennett Volo forcing him out in 2:03
in the second heat.

During the second week of the meeting Hollyrood
Colin came back and won the Calumet from Lullawat
in 2:031/2 while at Brockton the same week Azure
Volo cut the three-year-old race record for a half-
mile track to 2 :07, his performance taking the honors
from Plucky, another son of Peter Volo.

The get of Guy Axworthy dominated the futuri-
ties for a number of years. In 1928 they also made
a favorable showing in the aged events, the leaders
being Guy Ozark, Benelwyn, Full Worthy, High Noon
and Axmoko. The list of winners of the colt stakes
presents the names of Guy Abbe, Red Aubrey, Care-
taker, and Fine Girl. The last named cut the three-
year-old half-mile track race record for fillies to

214 RACEALONG

2:08 at Belief ontaine, Ohio, during the fair.

The Belwins were raced in almost every state in
the Union. Crawford won in 2:03 in California and
Prince Charming in Washington. Bronx and Flambo
showed well in New England and New York state,
while Betterwin dominated the two-year-old pacing
events. Of Belwin's other winners the best were
Cinema, Riley, John Belwin, Labrador, and Rick-
shaw.

Grattan Bars proved the leader among the Grattan
Royal pacers. At Toledo he raced into the two minute
Hst when he won in 1 : 59 1/2- This mark stood at the
top of the racing speed until Winnipeg scored in
l:59l^ at Syracuse.

San Francisco lost a place in the sun when Fire
Glow died at Cleveland. He looked like a super horse.
Notwithstanding this blow the San Francisco line
continued its favorable showing and won in the colt
stakes as well as in the aged events. In the former
Lela Frisco and Tartan Maid were the best.

Chestnut Peter contributed a remarkable pair of
racing models in Peter Cowl and Bray Stout. Peter
the Great also had a splendid representative in Lul-
lawat. She was the only trotter that defeated Holly-
rood Colin.

The returns show that Chattanooga, Tennessee
Maid and Napoleon were the fastest in the list of
Napoleon Direct's winners. All of them were raced
on the half-mile tracks. Of the Ortolan Axworthy
group Bee Worthy, Guy Worth"y, Cub Ortolan, Miss
Neva, and the three-year-old pacer Blushing Beauty

RACEALONG 215

made the best showing for that horse.

Shirley Harvester proved the best in The Har-
vester's lot of winners and the two-year-old gelding
Mr. McComas the leader among the Etawah trotters.
Of the Dillon Axworthy's, Gordon Dillon and Hamsa
Dillon were the most successful.

Hazel McKlyo was the busiest of her sire's get
and Highland Scott the fastest representative of
Peter Scott, whose other winners included Scotland,
Lord Scott, Black Scott and Becky Beal.

CHILCOOT

After Chilcoot won the $10,000 Charter Oak Purse,
in 1918, Thos. W. Murphy stated that he would not
be started again. He had a bowed tendon that
bothered him. That year Chilcoot took the word in
eight races of which he won five and was second in
three. At the first North Randall meeting he won in
2:061/2 while at Kalamazoo he finished second to
Wilkes Brewer in 2:051/2- June Red defeated him at
Toledo in a three in five race after he won a heat
in 2:05%. His fastest race was trotted at Columbus
where he won in 2:06%, 2:041/4, 2:04l^ from Heir
Reaper.

Chilcoot was not started at the second North
Randall meeting* He was one of Murphy's nine
winners at Philadelphia and he again finished second
to June Red at Poughkeepsie. At that time he was
very lame. Still he came through in front at Read-
ville in the $5,000 Massachusetts and closed his

216 RACEALONG

racing career at Hartford when he won the $10,000
Charter Oak Purse.

Chilcoot was bred at Walnut Hall Farm and came
honestly by his speed and gameness. He was by San
Francisco out of Chimes Girl, a daughter of Chimes
and the Wood's Hambletonian mare Minnequa Maid
which also produced the great race mare Night-
ingale, 2:08, that won the Charter Oak Purse in
1891 to high wheel sulky, after a nine heat battle
with Little Albert, Abbie V., Realman, Prodigal, Miss
Alice and Frank N.

Ed Geers in his ''Experience with the Trotters and
Pacers" stated that as a test of speed, gameness and
endurance, the Charter Oak of 1891 will go down in
turf history as the most remarkable event ever
trotted. This, however, was not the only great race
that was placed to the credit of Nightingale as at
Chillicothe, Ohio, she won after a six heat contest
with Little Albert, Ryland T., Charleston and Lake-
wood Prince in 2:12. In 1893 Nightingale also won a
seven heat race at Buffalo defeating Alix and Green-
leaf and placed the three mile record of the world at

6:551/2-
In 1894 Nightingale won at Buffalo at two miles

from Greenlander in 4:361/^, the world's race record

for the distance, while in 1895 she continued her

career by defeating Azote and Klamath at Fresno,

Cal. in February. After coming east she won at Fort

Wayne, Ind. in 2:10 and at Terre Haute in 2:08, her

record, defeating Onoqua, Dandy Jim, David B. and

Anderson's Nightingale. Nightingale's color was a

RACEALONG 217

trifle darker than Chilcoot's but as a typical light
harness •performer endowed with speed, gameness
and endurance Chilcoot presented the same char-
acteristics as the stout hearted daughter of Mam-
brino King and Minnequa Maid that was one of the
turf world stars when the Village Farm stable kept
the Hamlins before the public.

CLIMBING THE LADDER

William T. Crozier started at the foot of the lad-
der with a rub rag and brush. He learned the rudi-
ments of training trotters under such masters of the
art as Charles Marvin and Orrin Hickok. Later on
he dropped into Hartford, Conn, with Dave Mc-
Clary, who opened a public stable after Star Pointer
was retired.

When McClary moved to New York, Crozier
opened a stable, the most of his racing being done
over the half-mile tracks in New England. From
1914 when the Bay State Circuit was organized,
Crozier kept among the leaders. John R. Hal was
his first top-liner. He was followed with Binworth,
Patrick Duluth, Almaden Onward, and Harry D. O.

In 1924 Cozier started to the mile tracks with
Sparkle, Hollyrood Frisco, Peter Coley, and Phil 0'-
Neil. Later on Guy Richard, Silver Weather, Volo
Rico and others were added.

Of the reinsmen who graduated from the ranks
and made a place for themselves as leaders, Geers
is entitled to first place. He tried his hand at train-

218 RACEALONG

ing before learning the rudiments but finally decided
to put in a year under the eye of George Fuller. From
that day he began to climb, his first performers
of note being Alice West and Mattie Hunter. Later
on he came north from Tennessee with Brown Hal,
Hal Pointer, and Frank Buford, while he also raced
Star Pointer and Hal Dillard for their respective
owners.

While Geers was located at the Village Farm he
found an assistant in Ben White. When the Hamlin
establishment was disposed of, White remained at
East Aurora with the people who purchased a por-
tion of the property. He started racing over the half-
mile tracks with Lettie Lee and a few others. Later
he moved over to the larger ovals where he marked
Lee Axworthy, Volga, Princess Etawah, Lee Wor-
thy, Mr. McElwyn, Aileen Guy, Main McElwyn and
a number of other stars.

When Horace Brown was at the Village Farm he
also had two assistants who soon made a place for
themselves in turf history. They were W. J. Andrews
and Alonzo McDonald. Andrews was prostrated by a
sunstroke when at the top of his profession. Mc-
Donald is still active. He started in at the bottom
in northern New York. After driving a few races he
went to the Village Farm. In 1892 he gave Princess
Royal a two-year-old record of 2:20 at Poughkeepsie
for that establishment. He then started out to pad-
dle his own canoe. The pacer Miss Jennings brought
him back to the mile tracks in 1896 and he remained.

As the years rolled by McDonald gathered to-

RACEALONG 219

gether his share of racing material and at the same
time laid away a roll for a rainy day. His list of win-
ners include Allen Winter with which he won the
$50,000 Handicap at Boston, Bob Douglas, Emily
Ellen, Star Winter, Billy Burke, Early Dreams, the
Kentucky Futurity winners Sadie Mac and Miss Ad-
bell, Zomrect, Jeannette Rankin, and The Senator.

Harry Fleming started on his career as a driver
at Columbus in 1894 by taking a mount behind Bour-
bon Wilkes, Jr., when his owner and driver failed to
put in an appearance. Harry won and kept in the
king row for thirty years. His later day triumphs
were scored for Hillanddale Farm with Nedda, Fin-
varra, Escotillo, Sakura and the other trotters bred
by the late W. B. Dickerman. Ill health finally put
liim on the side line.

Aubrey Rodney is the only graduate of the Walter
R. Cox training academy. Rodney joined the Cox
stable while it was located at Nashua, N. H. One
-day he and Walter were jogging a horse to a sleigh.
Rodney remarked "Walter, I think I will start out
training for myself. Walter stopped the horse and
-after looking him over said, ''What do you know
about training horses?" Rodney replied ''About as
much as you do." "Possibly you are right," said
Cox, and they parted.

After a few rough bumps with all kinds of material
Rodney secured Baden and took him over the mile
tracks. He made him the largest money winning
trotter that appeared up to 1912. In 1923 Rodney
Ihad a clever pair in Watts-in-Bond and Commodore

220 RACEALONG

Wilson. The latter proved the fastest two-year-old
trotter that appeared on the half-mile tracks and in
1924 he gave him three-year-old world record of
2:03l^. In 1929 he made the grade with Bronx

2:041/2.

For years Dick McMahon had the reputation of

being able to beat the barrier or worry a starter

more than any other man that ever sat in a sulky.

As a lad he drifted out of Fredonia, Kansas, and

made for the Iowa race tracks. He learned a thing

or two at Independence, when C. W. Williams was

training Axtell and Allerton. Later on he landed at

the head of a racing stable and started to do things

with Citation, Ross K. and Belle Alcantara. His most

startling performance, however, was recorded at

Columbus when he landed the three-year-old stakes

with Mary Putney in 1915 and followed her showing

there by winning the Kentucky Futurity. This was

the year after he purchased King Couchman from

Cox. He made good with him even if Cox said that

the Atlantic King gelding was the worst acting pacer

in captivity.

UNDER FOUR FLAGS

Whenever the southern antebellum turfman
General T. J. Wells is referred to, it has been taken
for granted that his ancestors located in Louisiana
with Bienville or one of the old time governors who
ruled the territory for the Bourbon Kings of France.
A brief inquiry, however, developed the fact that his

RACEALONG 221

father Levi Wells was a Yankee who lived under
four flags without going outside of the present
boundaries of the United States.

Levi Wells was born in Hartford in 1765. At that
time Connecticut was a British Colony. He was
descended from its fourth governor Thomas Wells,
who was born in England in 1598 and died in Hart-
ford in 1660.

The American Revolution became a matter of
history while Levi Wells was a school boy. With it
came a transfer of the allegiance of the Wells family
to the United States of America.

Levi Wells took up surveying for a livelihood.
In 1786 he was selected by some one connected with
the United States government to locate the bound-
aries of a tract of land owned by Alexander Fulton
and J. Miller in Louisiana.

Fulton and Miller established a trading place at
a military post on the Red River, two hundred miles
north of New Orleans. In their transactions with the
Indians, the French prior to 1763 and the Spaniards
after that date, they acquired considerable land.
They wanted it surveyed in order to perfect their
title. With that object in view they requested the
American government to send some one to do the
work. The order was turned over to Levi Wells. After
he had completed it he decided to locate there.

For a future home Levi Wells selected a plot of
land in Rapides Parish near the present city of
Alexandria. He married Miss Calvit and settled down
to grow up with the country.

222 RACEALONG

In due time Levi Wells became a Spanish subject.
Three of his children were born under that flag
prior to 1800 when the Louisiana territory was taken
over for France by Napoleon.

Montfort, the fourth addition to the family, was
born a French subject. His brother Thomas Jeffer-
son, as his name implies, was born in 1803 under
the American flag after the Louisiana purchase was
completed.

In 1803 for the second time Levi Wells became
an American citizen. Later on another son was added
to the family. He was named J. Madison Wells. After
the Civil War he was Governor of Louisiana and
Chairman of the returning board which had con-
siderable to do with making Hayes instead of Tilden
President of the United States.

Another trail to the White House traces to a home
in Rapides Parish with which the Wells brothers,
Montfort and Thomas, were connected by marriage.
The brothers owned Wellswood Plantation. They pro-
duced large quantities of sugar, while as a side line
they had a stable of race horses. It was started by
the purchase of ten thoroughbred fillies from James
Jackson of Alabama.

The brothers married sisters. They were daugh-
ters of a neighbor named Dent. Their brother was
also the father of Julia Dent, wife of General Grant,
who was President for two terms.

Montfort and Thomas Wells bred the first Ameri-
can thoroughbred horses shipped to England to race.
They were Lecomte, Prioress and Stark. All of them

RACEALONG 223

were out of Reel by imported Glencoe. Lecomte died
a few weeks after he landed in Liverpool. The other
two proved winners, Prioress being one of the best
race mares of her day on either continent. They also
bred the Lexington mare Queen Bess which was the
dam of Creole the sire of the third dam of Peter the
Great.

WINNING DRIVERS IN 1929

The returns for the campaign in 1929 show that
H. M. Parshall of Urbana, Ohio, stands at the top
of the list of winning drivers with fifty-four races
to his credit. Harry Brusie is in second place with
fifty-one and Sep Palin third with forty-eight races,
all but two of which were won at Grand Circuit
meetings.

Parshairs fifty-four races were won by fourteen
horses. Bin Direct by Binville out of the pacing
mare Flower Direct 2:00% stands at the top of the
list with eleven. Counterpart is the leading money
winner. His big bid was made at Kalamazoo where
he landed the $25,000 pace in 2:02i4 from a field of
nineteen. Of the other horses in the Parshall stable
General Walker won six races. Miss Marion Toddler
five, Lee Hagyard, Legality, Velocity, Joe Lewis, My
Loraine, and Sybil Volo three each. Tease two, and
The Flying Parson, Lillian McKinney and Fairview
one each with Parshall in the sulky.

Sweet Echo proved the leader in the Brusie stable.
She won eleven races. Brusie won five races with

224 RACEALONG

Hollywood Pat while he was filling his engagements
in the Bay State and Orange County Circuits. He
also won five with the two-year-old pacer Dermat
and five with the gelding Heatherbell. Of the other
horses driven by Harry Brusie, Willis Grattan, Mar-
jorie Brooke and Ortolan Brooke each won four
races with him in the sulky. Volomo won three
before he pulled up lame. Guy Leyburn and Mathew
H. Dillon each won two and Princess Forbes, Alex-
ander Kohl, Day Tide and Flambo one each, the
last named defeating Bronx at Essex Junction.

Winnipeg was the leader in Sep Palin's stable. He
won eleven races and lost but two heats. Labrador
and Petroguy each won eight races and Contender
five. Saint Guy and Chester Stout, which was added
to the stable at the Grand Rapids meeting, each won
four races. Riley and Alexander Direct each won
two, the Napoleon Direct pacer being purchased at
Cincinnati. Of the other starters Princess Iroquois,
San Guy and Betty Ann each won a race with Palin •
up.

Earl Pitman and Will Caton are tied for fourth
place, each with thirty races. Twelve of the Pit-
man lot were won by May E. Grattan. Of his other
leaders, Scott Grattan won six races and Watson B.
Jr. and Guy Signal four each. Of the other horses
in the stable. Patch Direct won three races. Miss
Worthy Peters, two, and Radium, Anna P., Miss
Neva, Saxon Queen and Peter Buskirk one each.

Will Caton started with the K. Stable in July. Of
his starters Cheerful Volo was the most successful.

RACEALONG 225

She won sfx races. Adjuster won four and Montgom-
ery Volo, Wayne Direct, Abbe Worthy and Hedge-
tramp three each. Of Caton's other winners Helen
Direct and Harry D. each scored twice. He also won
with Star Unko, Star Gale and Alexander Grattan.

Vic Fleming started his 1929 campaign over the
ice at Toronto in January. He won there with
Twinkling Joe, Mazie Brooke and Judge Bennett.
After that outing he laid off until the Grand Cir-
cuit opened in June. From that time to the close
of the season he added twenty-five more victories,
his total being twenty-eight. Of this number
Darkey Grattan won five. The Royal Lady and Ber-
nice Logan four each. The Young Senator, Busy
Signal, Peter Walnut and McKillop's Orenda two
each, while Peggy Perkins, Raven Azoff, Ingomar
Grattan and Lee Tree had each one tally.

The New England trainer Pierce Chappelle also
won twenty-eight races with the horses in the Kelley
stable of Bangor, Maine. Peter Patch was his leader.
He won eleven out of fourteen starts. Kinney Silk
also had nine races placed to his credit. Chappelle's
other winners were Sassy Marie and Peter Magnus.

Walter Cox and Harry Stokes tied at twenty-
seven. The Goshen reinsman won most of his races
with colts ; Walter Dear and Volomite being each
credited with six victories. Of his other mounts
Miss Woerner won five races, Hazelton three, Sir
Guy Mac and Senator Brewer two each, and Dewey
McKinney, Arbutus and Guy Day one feach. Cox was
also the leading money winning driver, Walter

226 RACEALONG

Dear's victory in the Hambletonian putting him over
the peak.

Full Worthy and Gaylworthy, two sons of Guy
Axworthy, proved the leading winners for Harry
Stokes. Each of them landed three races with him
up. He also won two races with Prince Don, Calumet
Adam, and Sir Walter, and one each with Bonnie
M., which he drove for Hodson at Syracuse, Royal
Guy, Tease, Lee Hagyard which he drove for Par-
shall at Cleveland, Hollyrood Lexington, Black Leaf,
Alma Lee, Axworthy Pride, Peter Locanda, Jessa-
mine, Etta Volo, Gavolo, Zev McKlyo, Aquitania and
Demas Harvester.

Aubrey Rodney won twelve of his twenty-five
races with Bronx, four with Dr. Vorhees, three with
Myra Harvester, two each with Star Echo and Net
Worth, and one each with Mordkin and Star Unko.
Bronx made a remarkable campaign.

The western trainer Henry Thomas had a splen-
did group of young horses. He won seven races with
Hollyrood Chief and sold him before he defeated
Hollyrood Harrod at Lexington. He also won four
races with Shirley and Hollyrood Hunter, two each
with Senna Tea and Hollyrood Volo, and one each
with Lady Russell Boy, Bellevue, Rippling Water
and Kinney Direct, the last named being put over
the plate at Grand Rapids in 2:01%. Henry Thomas
won twenty-three races with these horses.

W. Flemming did not begin winning until the Bay
State Circuit meeting at Springfield. From that time
he won twenty- two races. Of that number Major

RACEALONG 227

Mozart and Argot Napoleon each won five, Frisco-
tanna and Powell four each, Joe McKinney three,
and Margaret Grattan one.

Ben White and Will Hodson are tied at nineteen.
Widow Grattan was Hodson's leader. She won seven
races. He also won three with Leona the Great, two
each with Hollyrood Pat and Bonnie M., and one
each with Summers Worthy, Allie Patch and Capital
Stock, this two-year-old placing the Fox Stake to his
credit at Indianapolis. On one of the days at the
Windsor summer meeting Hodson won the entire
card and all of the heats with Widow Grattan, Sum-
mers Worthy and Peter Patch.

The two-year-old colt Main McEtwyn was the
leader in Ben White's stable. He won nine races
and placed the world's race record for foals of his
age at 2:02%. Of the other members of the stable
driven by White, Hoyle won three races. Grey
Brewer and Jessamine each two races, and one each
with Etta Volo, Yuma and Ruth M. Chenault.

Lyman Brusie, A. Morrison, Will Utton, W. Keyes
and T. Berry were each credited with eighteen first
monies in 1529. Lyman won seven races with Chat-
tanooga, four with Lu Trask, two with Dexter E.,
and one each with Maidstone, Great Canto, Marjorie
Brooke, Peter McXinney and Spirit Volo. Morrison
won five races with You'll Do, three with King Grat-
tan, two each with Donald A. and Aquatania which
he drove for Frank Cares, and one each with Migno
Volo, Allie Hart, Peter H., Patchen' Boy, Robert
O'Guy and Billy Scott.

228 RACEALONG

Utton won nine races with Hunter Hedgewood,
three with Barney Sunshine, and two each with Joe
Bing, Helen Guy and Mabel Mack. Eula H. was the
leader in the Keyes lot. She won six races. He also
won five with Edna McKlyo and three each with
Hedgewood K. and Cap Leggett, and one with
Ruby P.

All but one of Tom Berry's winners were owned by
the Hanover Shoe Farms. His leader was the two-
year-old filly Hanover's Bertha with which he placed
the two-year-old record at 2:02. She also won two
races for him in one of which she trotted in 2:0414,
while in her first race at Lexington with Main McEl-
wyn she reduced the two-year-old record to 2:03%.
With the other horses Berry won four races with
Brother Hanover, two each with General Hanover,
Foster Dillon, Miss Bertha Hanover, Miss Hanover
and Nancy Hanover, and one each with Micro Dillon
and Miss Guy.

Walter Breitenfield and Carl Dill are tied each with
seventeen winners. Blushing Beauty and Cold Cash
were the leaders in the Missouri stable. Each of
them won five races. Of the others Fantom won four
races and Betsey Prigg one. Dill won four races with
Dewey McKinney in the Orange County Circuit. He
also won three races with Sir Guy Mac in the same
series. Of his other starters Voltaire won three
races, Morning Express, Volarro and Nescopec two
each, and Peter McKinney one.

Highland Scott and Due Return were the leaders
in Will Dickerson's stable. Each of them won four

RACEALONG 229

races. Of the others Anna Bradford's Boy won three
events, Caretaker two, and Guy Ozark two, one of
them being the Transylvania. This ran Dickerson's
score up to fifteen.

Of the other drivers T. Ackerman won twelve
races, eight of them being scored by Betterwin and
in one of which he placed the world's race record for
three-year-old pacers at 2:011/2. He also won with
Wedgemere, Trudy Guy, Julia Napoleon and Peter
McKinney. Herman Tyson won twelve races and
Charley Valentine eleven, five of which were landed
by High Noon. Will Crozier scored in nine events,
five of them going to Tronia Britton. Nat Ray won
eight races, one of them being the renewal of the
M. & M. at Detroit with Rose Morgan. The three-
year-old pacer Sampson Hal was the best one in Ed
McGrath's stable. He won three events, including
the Fox Stake, and made a record of 2:05 at Syra-
cuse. McGrath's other winners were Equitable Peter,
Tennessee Maid and Dayletter.

FADING MILE TRACKS

It is beginning to look as if the days of the mile
tracks for light harness racing were numbered ex-
cept in a few centers. The increase in the value of
land near large cities stands as a barrier to say
nothing of the overhead after the gro.unds are com-
pleted.

On the half-mile tracks the spectators get more

230 RACEALONG

action for their money. The horses pass the grand
stand twice in each heat while almost every move
of the drivers can be seen from start to finish. So
far as the public is concerned the only item in favor
of the mile track is the fast time while with the
horses there is less chance of interference. The
difference in the time has been fixed at four seconds
for the average horse.

There was a day when almost every city had a
mile track in its immediate vicinity. Today city
blocks and suburban homes stand on the stretches
over which the old time champions struggled for
supremacy.

A review of the states shows that many mile
courses are now memories. At one time Maine had
Rigby Park at Portland and a kite track at Old
Orchard. Both have disappeared. In Vermont there
was a kite track at White River Junction. It was
succeeded by a double oval which is now a flying
field. Granite State Park still survives in New
Hampshire. It is a training track. Rockingham Park
at Salem has been dismantled. In Massachusetts,
Beacon, Mystic, Readville and Hampden Park have
been written off the books. Readville had a unique
record. Star Pointer started the two-minute list
there when he paced in 1:5914 ^^ 1897. Lou Dillon
also trotted the first mile in two minutes over it
in 1903.

Rhode Island passed to half-mile track racing
when Narragansett Park was closed. The first mile
in 2:10 was trotted over it in 1884 by Jay Eye See.

RACEALONG 231

At one time Connecticut had mile tracks at Plain-
ville and Hartford. Of the pair Charter Oak Park
remains.

New York was at one time noted for its mile
tracks. There were several on Long Island as well
as Fleetwood Park in New York City. The latter
was opened in 1870. All of them have passed, to-
gether with the splendid courses at Buffalo, Roches-
ter, Utica, Glen Falls and Poughkeepsie. Syracuse,
the home of the New York State Fair and Goshen
are still active.

In New Jersey the mile tracks at Guttenberg,
Linden, Hoboken, and the Fashion Course at Tren-
ton have passed. Of the Pennsylvania courses,
Pottstown, Phoenixville, Point Breeze and Belmont
Parks at Philadelphia were checked off together
with Homewood and Brunot Island Parks at Pitts-
burgh and the kite track at Meadville. The only
mile track in Pennsylvania is located on the Han-
over Shoe Farm at Hanover.

Delaware had a kite track at Kirkwood. It is
no longer active. In Maryland the trotters have not
been seen at Laurel or Pimlico for several years.
Ohio still has mile tracks at Toledo, Cleveland and
Cincinnati. The absentees are Columbus and the
kite track at Chillicothe where Flying Jib with run-
ning mate reeled off a mile in l:58l^ in 1894.

There is a mile track at Huntington. It is the only
large oval in West Virginia. There was a mile track
in Virginia at Richmond. It has been cut to a half.

In Georgia there are mile tracks at Atlanta and

232 RACEALONG

Macon. Tennessee has a mile track at Nashville, the
home of the State Fair. Memphis was dismantled
in 1929.

Lexington is the headquarters for mile track rac-
ing in Kentucky. At one time there were mile tracks
in Indiana at Cambridge City and Richmond. They
have passed. Indianapolis is the only one left in the
state. Illinois has a splendid mile track at Spring-
field. All of the others have disappeared, the group
including Washington Park where Alix won the
$15,000 free-for-all during the World's Fair, the
West Side Course over which Johnston paced in
2:06l^ to a high wheel sulky in 1884, Galesburg and
Libertyville.

In Michigan there are mile tracks at Grand
Rapids, Lansing, Detroit and Kalamazoo.

Of the western states Wisconsin has mile tracks
at Milwaukee, Augusta, Madison and Janesville. The
only one in Minnesota is located at Hamlin between
St. Paul and Minnesota. The Rochester and Savage
courses have been ploughed. Iowa at one time had
mile ovals at Davenport and Dubuque as well as the
kite at Independence over which Nancy Hanks de-
feated Allerton in 1891. They have faded. Nebraska
dropped into line in 1919 with a regulation mile
track at Omaha.

In the eighties the St. Louis Fair and mile track
meeting was one of the leading events in October.
All of the champions appeared there in the races or
in the show ring. It stopped and was followed by St.
Joseph and Sedalia where the Missouri State Fair

RACEALONG 233

is now held. There is a mile track in Texas at Dal-
las. It has not been used for racing of late years.
Overland Park at Denver was also at one time an
important racing center in Colorado while in Marcus
Daly's day racing flourished in Montana at Ana-
conda and Butte.

North Yakima had the only mile track in Wash-
ington. There is one at Salem, Oregon and one at
Phoenix in Arizona. California at one time had more
mile tracks than any other state in the Union. It is
still using the courses at Sacramento, Pleasanton,
Fresno and Stockton. Of those which have been dis-
mantled or are not active turf followers who knew
Marvin, Goldsmith and Hickok will recall Oakland,
where St. Julien made a new world's record for
trotters in 1879. Petaluma, San Jose, Santa Rosa,
Napa, Bakersfield, Salinas, Santa Anna, Woodland,
Vallejo and Los Angeles faded with the stock
farms which for a number of years sent a formid-
able list of champions over the mountains to do
battle with the eastern stars. The descendants of
these horses are still seen in almost every state and
by their speed and racing qualities perpetuate the
glory of Palo Alto, San Mateo, Sunny Slope and the
Santa Rosa Farms.

Florida has a perfectly appointed mile track at
Longwood. It is used as a winter training camp.

234 RACEALONG

WORTH WHILE WINNERS

With the Hght harness racing season extending
from June to November, a matter of twenty weeks,
it is a busy trotter or pacer that can make more than
that number of starts. As a rule, horses take the
word in about ten races during the season.

Few of the horses raced of late years equalled the
showing made by the Belwin gelding Crawford in
1925. That year in the Grand Circuit he started in
nineteen races, four of them being dashes at Aurora,
and won sixteen. His only defeats were at Toledo
where he finished second to Peter Fellows and at
Syracuse and Columbus where he was placed to Bob
Armstrong. He also had a chance to add two or three
more races to this score but Murphy refused to ship
him from Atlanta to start in some half-mile track
engagements in North Carolina.

If Crawford had appeared in these events he would
have met Peter Buskirk. That year Peter Buskirk
started racing at Freehold, N. J. on Decoration Day
and stopped at Wilson, N. C, in October. He took
the word in seventeen races of which he won fifteen,
the most brilliant being at Avon, Conn., where he
defeated Ensign Tige and Great Bells. Peter Buskirk
won all of his engagements in the Orange County
and Bay State Circuits that year except at Spring-
field. At that point Escotillo grabbed the odd heat
from him. His other blank was at Trenton where he
was defeated by Peter Fellows.

The returns show that in 1923 Peter Buskirk won

RACEALONG 235

fifteen out of twenty races. That year he also made
his first start at Freehold, N. J., and closed at Green-
ville, N. C., where he was defeated by Alisal. Peter
Buskirk also made the usual trip through the Orange
County and Bay State Circuits, winning all of his
engagements except at Windsor where he was un-
placed to Penrod and at Northampton where he fin-
ished second to Watts-in-Bond.

Of the other worth-while winners during the past
few years, Ribbon Cane won fourteen races in 1925
and Tilly Brooke twelve in 1924. In 1923 Junior Hal
and Merriman each won thirteen, Anoakia twelve,
Kate Hal and Watts-in-Bond each eleven, and Anna
Bradford's Girl ten. Margaret Dillon won ten races
in 1922. In 1926 Golden Direct won thirteen out of
fifteen starts and Ruth M. Chenault all of her ten
engagements.

During the 1927 campaign the trotter Patsy Leaf
tied at fifteen victories with the pacers Hamsa Dil-
lon, King Direct and Bert Abbe. After winning at
all of the early sweepstake meetings except Tren-
ton, Patsy Leaf was shipped to northern New York
where he had almost everything his own way in the
Buffalo Road Drivers' stakes.

Bert Abbe won all of his races in the Bay State
and Orange County Circuits except at Greenfield,
Sturbridge and Springfield where he was defeated by
Carolyn Logan. At Endicott he paced a third heat
in 2:03l^. Later on he clipped the fraction off in a
race at Malone.

Hamsa Dillon began racing in 1927 at the sweep-

236 RACEALONG

stake meetings. She kept winning until dropped off
at Trumansburg, N. Y. At that point in one heat
she pulled three shoes and was drawn but came back
later in the week and won. Hamsa Dillon won fifteen
races out of sixteen starts.

Of the four horses that won thirteen races in 1927
Shirley Harvester is the only trotter. As a yearling
she was sold at the Chicago auction for $110 to
Warren Daniels. As he was unable to get an advance
on that figure he took The Harvester filly home and
trained her. In return for his work Shirley Har-
vester won all of her thirteen engagements worth
over $3,500, made a race record of 2:09%, and again
passed under the hammer at Chicago where W. B.
Eckert of Reading, Pa., paid $2,500 for her.

The other winners of thirteen races in 1927 were
the pacers Walnut Grattan Jr., Peter Direct and
Beau Dillon. The last named was by Dillon Axworthy
out of Zulu Belle by Petigrue. He was raced over the
eastern tracks and made a record of 2:06% at
Springfield, when he defeated Chattanooga.

Fred Medium and Millie W. were the only light
harness performers that were each credited with
twelve races. Fred Medium's races were over the
Canadian tracks. Millie W. swept all before her in
the Bay State and Orange County Circuits until she
met All Bingen in her eleventh race at Middletown,
N. Y. The series of races between Millie W. and
Wayne Hal were one of the features of the year.

Five horses were credited with winning eleven
races in 1927. They were the trotters Axdale and

R A C E A L O N G 237

Jean Peters and the pacers Dan R., Jimmy Strath-
more and Peter Belmont. The last named was raced
in Maine. He is by Peter Vonia which was destroyed
by fire at Hatfield, Mass. when Barney Fralick also
lost the Earl of Chatham.

Maine also contributed a horse to the four trotters
that won ten races in 1927 in Luke Bell by Atlantic
Express. He made a record of 2:061/2 at Rochester,
N. H. The other trotters in this group were Bugle
Call by Guy Axworthy, Peter Frisco and the three-
year-old Leon Worthy by Edgar Worthy which Leon
Beck marked in 2:08 at Springfield, 111.

The eight pacers which each won ten races were
led by the two-year-old colt Air Silk. He was a mem-
ber of By Shively's stable. His associates in this
group were Charing Cross, a brother to Crawford,
Dawn 0' Day by Daystar, Main Direct by Direct
Gentry, the Canadian horse Battle Ax which made
a mark of 2:01i4 at the Minnesota State Fair, Betty
Direct by Empire Direct, and Reppert B. The last
named after making two Grand Circuit trips was
tried on the double ovals and won.

Ten trotters and fourteen pacers won ten races in
1927. Hazleton and Sam Williams were the leaders.
The other trotters were Peter Poem, Lord Carville,
Whiskbroom, a half brother to Beau Dillon, Day-
light, a three-year-old by Daystar, Pat Harmon, the
two-year-old filly Georgia Volo, Tang Frisco and
Signal Spring.

Of the pacers Captain Grattan and Ramona Grat-
tan were by Grattan Royal, and Caruso by William,

238 RACEALONG

the champion whose races with Directum I. were
among the most brilHant in turf history. The others
which came through with nine first monies were Al
Volo, Billy R., Baron Forbes, Lecco Grattan Jr., Lil-
lian C. F. L., My Man, Beautiful Isle, Dude Hughes,
Miss Argot Hal, and Cap Leggett.

The twelve trotters which won eight races in 1927
include the two-year-olds Plucky and Miss Eclipse
and the three-year-olds Miss Marion Toddler and the
half-mile track champion Doane. Danesia, another
member of the Atlantic Express family, appeared in
this group as well as Hal Watts, Edgar Volo, Rosa
Doune, The Incense, Delia Harvester and Todd Stout.

The pacers which stopped at pier eight in the
winning column carried into the race summaries the
names of Silver Grattan, Margaret Lacy, Macaroon,
Patchen Boy, Minnie Dewey, The Creed, Rhythmic
Todd, Star Cochato, and Lucy Woods.

From this point there is a flood of performers at
each stop. Twenty-eight trotters and nineteen pacers
each won seven races. Among the trotters there are
such well known performers as Victor Frisco with a
mark of 2:03% made when he won at Toledo, Full
Worthy 2 :03 by Guy Axworthy, and the Ortolan Ax-
worthy geldings Orto Manor and Bee Worthy.

The group of pacers included Trampsmug 2:02%,
Widow Hal which won on both the mile and half-mile
tracks. Northern Baron, Mary Volo, one of the sixty-
three winners credited to Peter Volo, Joe Lewis,
Widow Grattan, The Flying Parson, and Chatta-
nooga.

RACEALONG 239

BALDY AND MIG

Baldy and Mig occupied adjoining stalls in the
big barn at the entrance to Granite State Park in
Dover, N. H., in the spring of 1919. They were a
splendid pair of equine athletes, still there was
nothing in common between them other than that
they were horses and trotters. Mig was a golden
chestnut with white trimmings and a sprinkling of
white hairs on his body, while Baldy had a bay coat
that glistened like a piece of mahogany, and on his
face a broad white strip to which his name can be
charged.

On the score cards, this pair appeared as Lu
Princeton and Mignola. The latter was an Iowa
product which reached Dover by way of Pittsburgh.
When he looked over his stall door he could at times
catch a ghmpse of Mabel Trask. They graduated
from the same school in Indianola. Since they met
in the hawk eye state, Mabel became the best race
mare of her day, while Mignola was a fun horse in
Pittsburgh.

With a step as light as a debutante at her first
ball and a devil may care swing to his tail, Mignola
when he appeared on a track attracted everyone's
attention. At speed he was the ideal trotter, his
style, gait and bearing being what breeders had in
their mind's eye for years and which few obtained.
With a stroke just round enough to be flashy but
with no lost motion and as rapid as the roll of a
snare drum, the magnificent son of Allerton flashed

240 R A C E A L 0 N G

by like a broad streak of gold in the sunlight.

As he turned to score, Mignola made three or
four little hops, like a boy fidgeting at the score in
a foot race, before he moved off at an even stroke,
his rate of speed increasing in a few strides from a
jog to a free-for-all clip. His prompt response to the
bit or the request to get under way was as rapid
as the automatic working of a high powered car.

Mignola was ten years old when he made his rec-
ord of 2:0414. At that age a race horse is usually
retired. His fun days came when he was seven and
eight, after he was tried and considered a fluke. This
was also boosted along by an accident in which he
broke one of his pasterns. At that time he was
owned by an Iowa blacksmith. Mignola was patched
up and sold to an unsuspecting easterner. In time he
passed to the matinee stable of J. R. McCune of
Pittsburgh, Pa. One day his daughter drove him a
mile in 2:051/^ to wagon. Mignola was then shipped
to Lexington, where he started in the Walnut Hall
Cup that was won by Early Dreams. At that time
he looked like a picture horse and everybody was
talking about him when his owner drove him in
2:031/4.

Walter Cox raced him in 1919. He started him in
ten races of which he won nine. At Hartford Mig-
nola pulled up lame in the Charter Oak Purse and
was beaten by Mariondale. The last time I saw him
was at Lexington the following October. As he stood
under the trees with the sunlight playing on his
golden coat he looked like the highest type of a

RACEALONG 241

trotter that had ever appeared on the turf.

While being raced Lu Princeton was interested
only in two things. Number one was to never miss
a meal and number two was to never race a step
further than absolutely necessary. When the bell
rang he stopped.

At times it looked as if this cunning old fox was
wandering along a path made by himself. He never
did anything that would lead a person to believe that
he enjoyed racing, and also as evidence that his
disposition to move off under protest was a bluff,
one morning when a rein parted he ran off like a
wild horse and kept it up for over a mile. When he
was caught and the harness adjusted, he was the
same old soldier, determined to go his own gait until
something came along that was worth beating. That
was different as when under a full head of steam
this stout trotter had the whiz of a torpedo.

Lu Princeton, as he stood on his clean black legs,
was a monument of skillful training on a foundation
of patience. In 1916 he was raced the entire season
without doing anything to recommend him as a use-
ful racing tool except at Lexington where he was
second in one fast heat and at Atlanta where he won
a heat after the colored boys scared him by yelling
as he passed the three-quarter pole.

Walter Cox purchased Lu Princeton from J. H.
Ackerman in the winter of 1916. He found him in
either the second or third story of a livery stable in
Patterson, N. J. and paid $2,500 for-him after see-
ing him led out on the floor. He also had to work a

242 RACEALONG

year before he found the key to Baldy's trotting
qualities and convinced him that it would be easier
for both of them if he trotted instead of making wild
breaks in each heat. From that time, the other
fellow was in trouble.

Lu Princeton proved one of the stoutest race
horses that ever took the word. He finally pulled
up with a record of 2:01. In 1918 at Atlanta he
defeated St. Frisco in 2:02, 2:043^, 2:02i4. This
showing when added to his victories at Cleveland in
2:023^, 2:0214 and at Hartford in 2:0214, 2:021/2
stamped him as a leader among stallions.

MONEY MAKERS IN 1927

Each year the Hambletonian Stakes makes its
winner the leader in the cash column. In 1926 when
Guy McKinney landed the first one the amount
awarded him when added to what he picked up
at other points made his earnings for the season
$68,742.87. In 1927 losola's Worthy was fortune's
favorite. She closed the season with $55,458.45 to
her credit.

When the mile track racing started in 1927 at
Toledo it looked as if Kashmir would carry every-
thing before her. She won at Toledo, Detroit, and
Cleveland where two races were placed to her credit,
losola's Worthy was started in these races. She was
unplaced at Toledo and Detroit. At Cleveland in one
race she finished third while in the other she moved
up to second place in 2:031/2. The following week at

RACEALONG 243

Goshen Kashmir was not started. losola's Worthy
won in 2:06 after losing heats to Highboy and Ben-
elwyn.

As the Hambletonian Stake was not raced at the
New York State Fair losola's Worthy made her next
start at Indianapolis. At that point she won in
2:05%. Her last two wins were at Lexington. The
first week losola's Worthy won the Futurity and the
second week landed the Hambletonian Stake in
2:03% from Nescopec.

In the first Hambletonian Stake, Guy McKinney
and Guy Dean, two sons of Guy Axworthy, finished
first and second. In the second renewal losola's
Worthy and Nescopec, two daughters of Guy Ax-
worthy, were the leaders. Benelwyn, a son of Guy
Axworthy, was in third place.

losola's Worthy was bred by Fred F. Field of
Brockton, Mass. She was developed by Ben White.
In 1927 before the beginning of the racing season
she was sold to E. J. Merkle of Columbus, Ohio, for
$10,000. He raced her and at the close of the season
consigned her to the New York sale where Dr. Ogden
M. Edwards, Jr. purchased losola's Worthy for Wal-
nut Hall Farm for $10,600.

The pacer Bert Abbe stood second in the list of
money makers in 1927. He raced in 2:03 on a half
mile track and won $29,812. His card shows fifteen
firsts out of eighteen starts. This horse is by The
Abbe, a double-gaited brother of The Abbott, which
in 1900 reduced the world's trott'ing record to
2:031/4.

244 RACEALONG

The Lee Tide colt Spencer stands at the top of
two-year-old winners. His balance for the year was
$26,213.75. The bulk of this was won in the Good
Time Stake at Goshen and the Rainy Day Stake at
Cleveland where he and Scotland had a three heat
contest. The first heat went to Spencer in 2:051/2
and the second to Scotland in 2:05%. In the third
heat Scotland made a break and Spencer won from
The Virginia Senator in 2:10%.

Sam Williams and Hazleton fill the next two points
in the list of money makers. Each of them won nine
races. For his efforts Sam Williams was awarded
$21,827 and Hazleton $19,345.

First money in the $25,000 pace at Kalamazoo and
winnings at other points placed Prue Grattan in sixth
place in the money makers group. She won $18,620.

The race which Scotland trotted over the cinder
track at Syracuse where he won the Wet Weather
Stake together with what he gathered in at Kala-
mazoo, Cleveland and Lexington placed him seventh
in the money maker column. His winnings amounted
to $14,862.

While the Guy Axworthy filly Nescopec won but
one race in 1927 the place money in the futurities
and Hambletonian Stake moved her winnings up to
$14,377.

Millie W. is the second half-miler to appear among
the money makers. She won $14,157. With this
added to what Bert Abbe won, it makes a total of
$43,967. That is the best showing ever made by
a pair on a half-mile track in one season.

RACEALONG 245

The events which Peter Etawah won at Akron and
Toledo were worth $13,465. This gives him a place
in the list over Fire Glow. This remarkable two-
year-old won $13,115 in five races and made a world's
race record of 2:04.

Kahla Dillon was placed twelfth among the money
makers. Her first notice was passed out at Goshen
when she won over the half-mile track in 2:07V2»
2:071/4, 2:07%. Her next show trip was at Lex-
ington where she won the Transylvania in 2:021/2
from Aileen Guy, Victor Frisco and Etta Druien.
As the last half of Kahla Dillon's mile was trotted
in 1:00% and the last quarter in 2914 seconds.
Kahla Dillon's winnings amounted to $11,650.

Doane the third representative of the two lap
courses won $11,300. He was started in eleven races
of which he won eight. During his campaign he re-
duced the race record for three-year-olds over a
half-mile track to 2:07% and the time record to
2:06i/i.

Louis Direct won six races on the mile tracks for
Lullwater Farm and was awarded $11,282. Kashmir
won four races and $11,116 before she began to make
the mistakes which put her out of the three-year-old
events, after the stables left Cleveland.

By winning two heats in one of the $20,000 events
at Toledo and picking up some money in other races
the Axworth gelding Clayworth landed $11,110. He
defeated Hazleton at Toledo and almost caught Sam
Williams at Kalamazoo.

Hollyrood Volo was one of the seventeen horses

246 RACEALONG

which broke into the five figure column. He won
six races and $10,462. At the beginning of the sea-
son he was tried in the Bay State Circuit at Avon
and Windsor but did not take to two lap racing.
When returned to the mile tracks he made good. At
Lexington he won in 2:011/2- A few weeks later in
a trip against time Holly rood Volo paced in 2:00l^
at Omaha.

PERISCOPE

Periscope was bred by John E. Madden at Ham-
burg Place, where the family building idea of speed
production gave the turf so many successful gal-
lopers and clever light harness performers after
that department was added to the Kentucky estab-
lishment. This well known trotter was got by Siliko
out of Leola, a C. F. Clay mare that trotted in
2:10l^ while her dam produced Choral 2:061/2 and
her grandam Fanny Robinson made a trotting rec-
ord of 2:201/2 at St. Louis, Mo., in 1879.

Both H. K. Devereux and H. M. Hanna of Cleve-
land, Ohio, owned Leola before John E. Madden pur-
chased her. At Hamburg Place she also produced
Dagastan, Siliho and Laughter, all of which raced.

Periscope was foaled in 1916. She made her first
start as a two-year-old in 1918 at the Cleveland July
meeting. She won in 2:10% from First National,
Brusiloff and Brother Peter. As she was in a stable
that was overloaded with two-year-old trotters,

RACEALONG 247

Periscope did not appear again until Poughkeepsie,
where she was purchased by John L. Dodge for
$10,000. He drove her in the balance of her en-
gagements and won with her not only at the Pough-
keepsie meeting in 2:10i4 but also at Readville and
Syracuse, defeating Princess Etawah, Brusiloff,
Dorothy Day, King Stout, Harvest Star, and Eliza
Dillon. A break put her out of the money in the
two-year-old event at Columbus where she trotted a
half in 1 :01, while at Lexington she finished second
to Princess Etawah in the two-year-old division of
the Kentucky Futurity.

In her three-year-old form Periscope cut her rec-
ord to 2:041/2 when she defeated Molly Knight and
Princess Etawah in the Matron Stake at Syracuse.
She also won the National Stallion Stake, the Re-
view and Horseman Futurities, as well as the Ken-
tucky Futurity, in which she made a new five-heat
race record for three-year-olds and defeated Brusi-
loff after he had won two heats.

After a lay-off of a year Periscope appeared again
in 1921. She reduced her record to 2:03V2 and car-
ried everything before her until she met Graywor-
thy at Hartford. She won at Toledo, Columbus and
both of the Cleveland meetings one of her starts at
North Randall being in the $15,000 free-for-all in
which she dropped a heat to Millie Irwin. She also
won at Philadelphia and Readville before Graywor-
thy finished in front of her in the Charter Oak Purse.
After the close of the Lexington meeting Periscope
was placed among the brood mares at Hollyrood.

248 RACEALONG

MAKING A FUTURITY FAMILY

Colt racing is the core of the turf. The winners
are marked while the youngsters like Ima Jay, Bin-
land, Lee Axworthy, E. Colorado and St. Frisco,
which forced them out, in due time lead in the aged
events. A few still chng to the slogan ''early ma-
turity, early decay" but their influence is fading.

The futurities which mature each year force the
breeders and those who purchase colts to train and
if they are fast enough race them at every oppor-
tunity. The breeding of the winners show which
families are successful and make a market for the
subsequent foals.

In the early days the Wilkes and Electioneers were
the first leaders. It was continued through the dif-
ferent subdivisions of these families until Peter the
Great started and was again renewed until the get
of his sons and the produce of his daughters ap-
peared. At that time the honors were divided be-
tween his descendants, the Axworthy branch of the
Wilkes family through Guy Axworthy, Dillon Ax-
worthy and General Watts, and the McKinney Hne
through Belwin and San Francisco.

Of the horses named, Dillon Axworthy was foaled
in 1910 and made his debut in 1912. That year
Joseph Serrill won four races with him, defeating
Lord Allen, Sweet Alice, Peter Johnston, and Ima
Jay, giving him a record of 2:lll^ at Columbus.

Serrill made his third trip to the races for A. B.
Coxe with this colt. His first appearance in the fu-

R A C E A L 0 N G 249

turities was recorded in 1909, when he finished sec-
ond to Soprano in the Kentucky Stake with Muda
Guy and was distanced in the Kentucky Futurity
won by Baroness Virginia. In 1910 Serrill appeared
at the top of the summaries with Peter Thompson.
Among other events he won the Kentucky Futurity
in 2:071/2 after a six heat contest with Mainleaf and
Atlantic Express.

Dillon Axworthy was retired in 1913 to Nawbeek
Farm, Paoli, Pa., A. B. Coxe surrounded him with
a bunch of young mares, the majority of which were
either futurity winners or traced to them. Two of
the fastest were Bertha C. and Czarevna, both of
which were heat winners in the futurities, while
Denella was out of Nella Jay, the winner of the Ken-
tucky Futurity in 1902. From them he built a fu-
turity family with Dillon Axworthy at its head.

Serrill's reputation as a reinsman was linked with
this family just as Fred Keyes moved up the ladder
with the Elyria youngsters in Ohio and John Gold-
smith with the Guy Wilkes colts in California. His
first flash was in 1917 when Miss Bertha Dillon won
from Harvest Gale at Kalamazoo in 2 : 08 1/2. The pair
met again in the Champion Stallion Stake at Cleve-
land, where The Harvester filly won after Miss Ber-
tha Dillon landed a heat in 2:051/2- Both of these
races were trotted in August. Two more were added
in September, when Miss Bertha Dillon met The
Real Lady at Columbus. The Moko filly won the first
engagement in 2:041^. In the second race Miss
Bertha Dillon won in 2:031/2, making a new world's

250 RACEALONG

race record for three-year-old trotters.

More record breaking was looked for in the Ken-
tucky Futurity. The first heat went to The Real
Lady in 2:051/2 with Bertha in second place. On the
next trip Serrill slipped into a pocket on the trip
around the upper turn. When he started to pull out,
his filly made a break and was distanced. There was
another engagement at Atlanta. Murphy declined it
as The Real Lady was rather frail on account of sick-
ness earlier in the season. Miss Bertha Dillon won
it from Harvest Gale in 2:031/4, a reduction of a
quarter of a second in the world's race record for
three-year-olds.

Serrill was seen in 1917 in the two-year-old events
behind Nella Dillon. She won at Syracuse in 2:081/2
from Echo Direct. She also defeated Peter June in
the two-year-old division of the Kentucky Futurity
in2:06iA.

The following year Nella Dillon atoned for her
stable companion's defeat in the three-year-old divi-
sion of the Kentucky Futurity by winning it in
2:05l^ from Petrex, a mare that in 1925 produced
Spencer 1:59%. During the trip in 1918, Miss Ber-
tha Dillon added another jewel to her crown by de-
feating St. Frisco and Mabel Trask at Readville in
2:021/2 ,after making Lu Princeton trot in 2:01%
at Philadelphia.

Three members of the Dillon Axworthy family
accompanied this splendid pair in 1918 on the trip
from Philadelphia to Lexington, where the Czarevna
gelding The Cosasck won in 2:09%. During the

RACEALONG 251

meeting at Poughkeepsie, The Divorcee, a sister of
Miss Bertha Dillon, won from Chestnut Peter and
Hollyrood Bob in 2:05% and Norman Dillon kept
Brusiloff and Princess Etawah busy in the two-year-
old events.

In 1919 the Nawbeek Farm youngsters started
their engagements at Philadelphia, where Charlotte
Dillon won the Directors' Purse in 2:09% and Nor-
man Dillon finished second to Bogalusa after getting
a heat in the two-year-old event in 2:10%. The
latter won from Jane Volo at Poughkeepsie in
2:111/4. He also won another heat from Bogalusa
at Readville in 2:111/4 and one in 2:07% from Rose
Scott at Columbus.

Sister Bertha was the star of the stable. Her
first brackets were earned at Syracuse where she
defeated Emma Harvester, Taureda and Daystar
in 2:06%. This was followed by another victory in
a futurity at Columbus where she disposed of Arion
Guy and Voltage in 2:07% after both of them won
heats. In her next two starts, Sister Bertha finished
second to Arion Guy, their last race being at Lex-
ington where she forced him out in 2:04%. This
race was followed by a trip against time in which
Sister Bertha cut the world's record for three-year-
old trotters to 2:02% and at the same time made
Bertha C. the dam of two trotters with records
l)elow 2:03.

While Serrill was v/inning two and three-year-old
events with the Nawbeek Farm trotters, Margaret
Dillon, another representative of the family which

252 RACEALONG

was sold for $100 because she showed a disposition
to pace, was carrying everything before her on the
mile and half-mile tracks. In 1919 she won thirteen
out of fourteen starts and pulled up with a record
of 2:01l^.

Later on this mare raced into the two minute list
and was retired with a record of 1:581/4. Also after
the death of A. B. Coxe, all of the horses at Naw-
beek Farm were purchased by the Hanover Shoe
Farm, Hanover, Pa., where the successes of the Dil-
lon Axworthy family were continued.

GRAND CIRCUIT OF 1929

After a run of seventeen weeks the Grand Circuit
series of meetings which started at Lexington, June
17, closed at the same point in Kentucky on October
9. Between those dates there were fifteen race meet-
ings on the mile tracks, the only gap being the week
between Cincinnati and Lexington. There were
sixty-eight days' racing during which two hundred
and ninety-seven races were contested, one hundred
and fifty-six of them being for trotters and one hun-
dred and forty-one for pacers. This circuit was also
very fortunate in the matter of weather, Cleveland,
Toledo and Aurora being the only members that lost
a day on account of rain. '^'^

As usual the colt races were the leading attract
tions at the majority of the meetings, the climax
being reached at Lexington where three changes
were made in the world's record for two-year-old

R A C E A L 0 N G 253

trotters and one for the two-year-old pacers. At
the most of the meetings the colts won in faster
time than the aged horses. It became such an every-
day affair that there were frequent comments that
the latter were fortunate in not being required to
meet them in races. Finally the hint became a reality
at Hartford when the three-year-old colt Volomite
won the $10,000 Charter Oak Purse in 2:031/4.

While no additions were made to the two-minute
list on the trip through the Grand Circuit, a new
world's record that is apt to stand for some time
was made at Goshen when Mrs. E. Roland Harriman
gave Highland Scott a record of l:59l^. Winnipeg
was the only other horse to race in even time.

At the beginning of 1929 the two-year-old record
for trotters was 2:04. It was held jointly by Mr.
McElwyn and Fireglow. Mr. McElwyn acquired the
honor in a trip against time. Fireglow made his
record when he defeated Scotland and Spencer in
1927. This year while at Grand Rapids the Peter
Volo filly Hanover's Bertha showed that she was on
her way to the championship by winning a second
heat from Main McElwyn in 2:041/4. At Aurora the
Mr. McElwyn colt equalled this when he defeated
Jessamine.

In the two-year-old division of the Kentucky Fu-
turity these youngsters met again. The first heat
went to Hanover's Bertha in 2:031/2, a new world's
record. Before the ink that recorded, the perform-
ance was dry Main McElwyn came back and won
in 2:031/4. During the second week at Lexington the

254 RACEALONG

two champions met again and Main McElwyn won
in 2:023^.

Main McElwyn and Hanover's Bertha are the fast-
est pair of two-year-old trotters that have appeared
to date. Their remarkable racing qualities show that
the two minute two-year-old trotter is in sight.
Another move towards that point was also made
at Lexington, the week after the Grand Circuit
meeting when Hanover's Bertha in a trip against
time reduced the world's record for foals of her age
to 2:02.

Main McElwyn made a remarkable campaign. His
first flash was at the second Toledo meeting where
he defeated Hanover's Bertha and Pola McElwyn
after each of them had won heats, and also trotted
a fourth mile in 2:09. Hanover's Bertha defeated
him in 2:04i4 at Grand Rapids. From that time he
carried everything before him. At Detroit he won
from Pola McElwyn in 2:0814, and at Cleveland in
2:071/4- Main McElwyn won again at Goshen in
2:08%, at Syracuse in 2:05% where Leroy was sec-
ond, at Indianapolis in 2:06i4 and at Lexington in
2:031/4 and 2:02%. He won nine firsts and one
second, Winnipeg being the only horse that won
more races in the Grand Circuit in 1929.

There were four leaders in the three-year-old
trots, Walter Dear standing at the top with six vic-
tories. He also proved the largest money winner of
the year. His most formidable rivals were Volomite,
Miss Woerner, and Contender. If there ever was a
horse well named the McGregor the Great gelding

RACEALONG 255

fills this bill as in addition to winning five races he
finished second in eight and third in one.

Walter Dear made his first start in 1929 at Grand
Rapids where he won from Contender in 2:03i4.
His next bid was in the Champion Stallion Stake at
Cleveland where he won after Volomite and Con-
tender each had a heat. After winning the Review
Purse at Goshen in 2:05V2 and the Breeders' Stake
at Syracuse in 2:03, Walter Dear remained in the
stable, a part of the time on the sick list, until Lex-
ington where he won the Kentucky Futurity from
Miss Woerner in 2:02% and the Hambletonian Stake
from his three stable companions Volomite, Sir Guy
Mac and Miss Woerner.

Volomite won six out of nine starts, his defeats
being in the events that were landed by Walter Dear
at Cleveland and Lexington. His first start as a
three-year-old was in the Matron Stake at Toledo.
He won from Contender in 2:05. He also won at
Detroit in 2:07. Volomite's next score was made at
Hartford in the Charter Oak $10,000 Purse in
2:031/4. This was followed by victories at Goshen,
Indianapolis, and Cincinnati.

Miss Woerner was undefeated until she met Wal-
ter Dear in the Kentucky Futurity. She won at To-
ledo, Detroit, Hartford and Syracuse while during
an off week Cox hopped over to Reading and won the
Trotter & Pacer Stake with her from her stable mate
Sir Guy Mac.

The pacing colts also made a good showing. Bet-
terwin won at Hartford, Goshen and Syracuse where

256 RACEALONG

he cut the three-year-old race record for pacers to
2:011/2- In the two-year-old field Calumet Adam won
his four engagements and the last time out placed
the world's record for foals of his age at 2:041/2-

None of the Grand Circuit winners in 1929 came
near the record set by Crawford in 1925 when he
won sixteen races. The following won four or more
races :

Winnipeg . 11 Calumet Adam 4

Main McElwyn 9 Tronia Britton 4

Labrador 8 Miss Woerner 4

Petroguy 6 High Noon 4

Walter Dear 6 Kinney Direct 4

Enoch Guy 6 Clara Bascom 4

Volomite 6 Darkey Grattan 4

Contender 5 Hoyle 4

Hollyrood Harrod 4 Peter Cowl 4

The Royal Lady 4

Four of the eighteen horses in the above table
were in Palin's stable. Winnipeg won all of his
engagements. Labrador won all the way from
Lexington to Hartford where he was defeated by
The Royal Lady. He also scored at Goshen. Petro-
guy took the word in thirteen races. He won six,
was second in three, third in two, fourth in one and
unplaced in one.

Enoch Guy won six out of nine starts and pulled
up with a record of 2:011/2. Kinney Direct was
placed in five races and won four. His best showing
was made at Lexington where he won from Gilda
Gray in 2:00%. The Royal Lady and Darkey Grat-
tan maintained the reputation of the Grattan Royal
family by each winning four races.

Peter Cowl won all of his engagements on the

RACEALONG 257

mile tracks. He dropped in at the first Toledo meet-
ing and won in 2 :07. This was followed by a victory
at Cleveland in 2:041/4 and his remarkable showing
at the second Toledo meeting where he won the
$25,00"0 trot in 2:02. His last appearance was at
Kalamazoo where he landed the $10,000 trot in
2:0414.

Hollyrood Harrod took the word in nine races.
He won four and was second in three. At Syracuse
he made a record of 2:031/2.

' The following were the leading drivers in the
Grand Circuit in 1929 with the number of races
won by them at the mile track meetings:

Palin 45 Daniels 7

Stokes 26 Ray 6

Cox 26 Dickerson 6

Felming 21 Harsch 6

White 19 Childs 6

Berry 14 Thomas 6

Hodson 11 Egan 6

Valentine 10 Van Buren 5

McMillan 9 Morrison 5

Parshall 8 Crozier 5

Twelve of the horses in Palin's stable won races.
Winnipeg won eleven, Labrador eight, Contender
five, Chester Stout four. Saint Guy four, Alexander
Direct two, and Betty Ann, San Guy, Princess Iro-
quois, Riley, and Calumet Albert one each. Cox
did the most of his winning with colts. Of his lot
Walter Dear won six, Volomite six, Miss Woerner
four, Hazelton three. Sir Guy Mac two. Senator
Brewer two, and Arbutus, Dewey MxiKinney and
Guy Day one each.

The most of the winners landed by Harry Stokes

258 RACEALONG

were catch mounts. He won three races with Full
Worthy, in one of which he trotted in 2:02, three
with Gaylworthy, the Walnut Hall Cup and Castle-
ton being in the lot and gave him a record of 2:02%,
two with Sir Walter, and two with Prince Don. The
others included Lee Hagyard which he marked in
2:04%, Bonnie M. with which he won the $10,000
pace at Syracuse, Alma Lee, Etta Volo, Jessamine,
Black Leaf, and Calumet Adam with which he de-
feated Cold Cash in 2:051/2.

Bernice Logan, Darkey Grattan, The Royal Lady,
and Young Senator were the leaders in Vic Flem-
ing's stable. Ben White's score was made with the
two-year-old trotters Main McElwyn, Hoyle, and
Jessamine, and the aged trotters Grey Brewer, Ruth
M. Chenault which he marked in 2:0314 ^t Grand
Rapids, Etta Volo, and Yuma.

All but one of Tom Berry's winners were from
the Hanover Shoe Farm. He won four races with
Brother Hanover, two each with Miss Hanover, Han-
over's Bertha, General Hanover and Forbes Dillon,
and one with Miss Bertha Hanover and Miss Guy.

After winning eight races at four meetings in the
Bay State Circuit with Widow Grattan, Hollyrood
Pat, Leona the Great, Summers Worthy and Peter
Patch, Hodson dropped into the Grand Circuit at
Toledo. He won eleven races on the mile rings, not-
withstanding the spill at Goshen which put him on
the ground during the New York State Fair. Hod-
son's card shows that Bonnie M., Widow Grattan,
and Hollyrood Patch each won two races for him

RACEALONG 259

while he scored with Peter Patch and the two-year-
old pacer Capital Stock in the Fox Stake.

McMillan won four races with Peter Cowl. He
also topped summaries with Bill Rogers, Just the
Guy, Robert 0. Guy, Steve Watts, and Jenny Perio-
lat. Valentine won four events with High Noon
and three with Colonel Strong. Counterpart was
Parshall's leader. He won three races, one of them
being the $25,000 pace at Kalamazoo.

Daniels won two races with the two-year-old pacer
Calumet Adam which he drove to a record of 2:04i/2»
Calumet Annette, and Jerry Sullivan, and one with
June Abbe. Rose Morgan was Nat Ray's best one.
She won the M. & M. at Detroit.

Dickerson won three races at Lexington with
Highland Scott, Hollyrood Colin, and Guy Ozark,
the last named defeating Hazelton in the Transyl-
vania. After the Kalamazoo meeting he dropped out
of the Grand Circuit to race in Orange County where
he won nine races. During that series. Due Return
and Anna Bradford's Boy each won three races.
Highland Scott two, one of them in 2:02%, and
Caretaker one.

Harsch landed six races with Enoch Guy and
Egan, three with his half-brother Louis Direct.
Henry Thomas scored in three events with Holly-
rood Chief and sold him to Frank Piper for $11,000.
Crozier won four races with Tronia Britton and
Morrison, three with Aquitania. Van Buren won
three races with Happy the Great .and two with
Black Leaf. Clara Bascom was Child's best mount.

260 RACEALONG

RACING VALUES

Racing values are fixed by earning capacity. There
was a time when the price of a trotting bred horse
was based on the standard of breeding, frequently
when speed was a minus quantity, so long as the
individual carried certain blood lines. As soon as
this market was overloaded with a lot of horses that
could now show a forty gait the demand shifted to
speed producing lines, the number of 2:30 perform-
ers credited to a sire or dam having considerable to
do with fixing values at the auction or by private
sale. This set the time record mills running and
made the 2:30 list the storm center in each family
of horses. A few still cling to this frazzled system.
It puts but very little money in the till and pays few
training bills.

The demeand at present calls for trotters and pac-
ers which have either shown their ability to race
or which come from families that are producing win-
ners. It was this feature which made the reputa-
tion of Peter the Great and Axworthy and while a
few of their descendants carry time records, the
most of them acquired their honors in races. The
grade was never too steep for the leaders when they
met the battlers of the McKinney family tracing to
San Francisco and Belwin.

Sale ring values are based on what the lots offered
can show and what their families have done in races.
From year to year buyers are paying less attention
to the 2:30 list or even the 2:20. Buyers seek pro-

RACEALONG 261

spective winners among the get of horses whose colts
and aged horses win.

For a number of years Peter the Great led all
others. He died in 1923. In 1924 his leading rep-
resentatives were seen in the aged events. The group
included Ethelinda, Peter Fellows and Peter Bus-
kirk. The last named was raced over the half-mile
tracks. He won sixteen out of eighteen races. His
winnings amounted to over $18,000.

The Grand Circuit returns for 1924 show that
the leading sires of money winners were Guy Ax-
worthy, Belwin, San Francisco, Etawah and Justice
Brooke. The last named had but one representatiye.
It was Tilly Brooke. She won all of her engage-
ments, made a new race record for trotters of 1:59,
and was awarded $20,425. At the end of the season
she was sold at auction for $18,000 for a brood mare.
Seven trotters and two pacers by Guy Axworthy
won $87,840.25 on their trip through the Grand Cir-
cuit in 1924. The following amounts were awarded
each of them:

Mr. McElwyn $24,875.50

Margaret Spangler 17,695.00

Aileen Guy 14,210.00

Guy Richard 11,110.00

Theodore Guy 6,096.75

Erla Guy 5,278.00

Hot Toddy 4,480.00

Guy Lightning 2,115.00

Ilo Guy 1,980.00

$87,840.25

262 RACEALONG

Mr. McElwyn was the largest money winning trot-
ter in 1924. He reduced the race record for three-
year-olds to 2:02 and the world's record in a trip
against time to 1:59%. Theodore Guy won all of
his engagements and Margaret Spangler won the
first $25,000 pace at Kalamazoo. The amount
awarded Aileen Guy was also the top figure for a
two-year-old that year.

Belwin stood second in the list of money winning
sires in the Grand Circuit in 1924. He had thirteen
representatives. They won $49,783.75. The amounts
awarded each were as follows :

Sumatra $9,260.00

Colonel Bosworth 8,931.75

Marmaduke 5,911.00

Miss Belwin 5,750.00

Belmar 5,024.00

Merriman 3,430.00

Poppy 3,113.00

Jean Claire 2,450.00

Crawford 1,874.00

Hurry Up 1,822.00

Coleman 1,243.00

Progressive 535.00

Heather 440.00

$49,783.75

Sumatra, the leader in the Belwin group, was un-
able to start in all of her engagements on account
of lameness. Merriman was the only pacer to enter
the two minute list in 1924.

RACEALONG 263

Four trotters and two pacers by San Francisco
won $37,360 in 1924 on the trip from Clevebnd to
Lexington. It was divided as follows :

Fayette National $13,565.00

Hollyrood Frisco 10,740.00

Sparkle 8,390.00

Hope Frisco .• 2,400.00

Iskander 1,162.00

Tulip 1,102.00

$37,360.00

If the $11,357.50 which Fayette National won over
other tracks was included it would jump the win-
nings of the San Francisco group to $48,717.50. Is-
kander made but three starts. He was stopped by
lameness.

Etawah was represented by three trotters. The
following amounts were awarded them :

Etta Druien $21,525.00

Trumpet 3,234.00

Dr. White 1,459.00

$26,218.00

Etta Druien won ten races and closed the season
with a double victory at Lexington. Trumpet v/as re-
tired after six starts.

The in 1925 returns for the Grand, Bay State and
Orange County Circuits show Guy Axworthy in the
lead as a sire of money winners. Eight- trotters and
two pacers by him were awarded $69,840.48. It was
divided as follows:

264 RACE ALONG

Aileen Guy $21,557.31

Guy Ozark 10,972.50

Frank Worthy 9,535.00

Theodore Guy 7,990.00

Guy Trogan 7,197.00

Guy Dean 4,265.50

Guy Brown 2,775.00

Hot Toddy 2,437.67

Wire Worthy 1,575.00

Truax 1,535.00

$69,840.49

Aileen Guy and Guy Ozark proved the leading
money winning three-year-olds. Their nearest rival
was Sam Williams. He was awarded $10,818.38

In 1924 and 1925 twelve trotters and three pacers
by Guy Axworthy won $157,680.73.

Belwin did not have as many winners in the three
circuits in 1925. Five of them won over the mile
track. They were awarded $57,362.75 as follows :

Crawford $28,505.00

Station Belle 12,256.00

Hollyrood Jessie 9,755.00

Sumatra 3,750.00

Charm 3,096.75

$57,362.75

Crawford was the leading money winner of the
year. He won sixteen races. Sumatra and Charm
were retired on account of lameness, the first named
after winning a heat at Toledo in 2:02l^.

RACEALONG 265

During 1924 and 1925 thirteen trotters and three
pacers by Belwin won $105,396.50.

When the race going public was getting ready to
put the skids under Peter Volo as a sire of racing
material he appeared on the scene in 1925 with the
best pair two-year-old trotters on the mile tracks and
a pair of clever performers of the same age on the
double ovals. This quartette with the aid of Volt-
age, Hollyrood Abigail and Jack de Saulles ran his
winnings in the Grand, Bay State and Orange County
Circuits up to $45,821.75. The following are the
amounts awarded the Peter Volo performers:

Peter Maltby $20,045.00

Hollyrood Susan 12,230.75

Voltage 4,725.00

Hollyrood Abigail 3,256.00

Tippy Volo 3,125.00

Jack de Saulles 1,290.00

Puiple Volo 1,150.00

$45,821.75

Peter Maltby was started in nine events. He won
all of them without losing a heat. Hollyrood Susan
found him her most formidable competitor. She
closed the season by winning the May Day Stake.

Dillon Axworthy was fourth in the list of money
winning sires in 1925. Five of his get won $43,659
in the circuits named while Margaret Dillon also
picked up a first money in the free-for-,all at Malone,
N. Y. The following are the amounts awarded each
of the Dillon Axworthy group :

266 RACEALONG

Thompson Dillon $26,470.00

Harrison Dillon 6,540.00

/ Margaret Dillon 4,360.00

Gordon Dillon 3,154.00

Clara Dillon 3,135.00

$43,659.00

By winning the $25,000 trot at Toledo Thompson
Dillon placed his name third in the list of money
winning trotters. Harrison Dillon proved the leader
among the three-year-olds on the half-mile tracks.
Gordon Dillon was also in the first flight on the mile
tracks until lameness stopped him. He made a rec-
ord of 2:0414.

Two trotters by Etawah won $33,670. The same
pair were his leaders in 1925 but this season the posi-
tions were reversed. The amounts awarded each
were as follows :

Trumpet $28,275.00

Etta Druien 5,395.00

$33,670.00

Trumpet won the $25,000 trot at Aurora and fin-
ished second to Todd Hart in the $10,000 event at
Kalamazoo. Etta Druien had few engagements. Her
last appearance was when she won the Transylvania.

Peterhoff was represented by Ribbon Cane. She
won $27,320 and was the largest money winning
pacer in 1925. Tarzan Grattan stood second with
$15,675 and Skeeter W. third. She was awarded
$14,327.50.

RACEALONG 267

SIRES OF WINNERS IN 1929

The returns for 1929 placed Peter Volo at the top
of the list of the sires of winners during the year.
To this he also added a new world's champion as
well as a three-year-old that went out of his class
and won an aged event from the best horses of the
year.

Of this pair Hanover's Bertha in July gave notice
that she was on her way to the highest honors by
winning at Grand Rapids in 2:04l^. In that event
she was forced out by Main McElwyn. A few weeks
later the colt equalled the mark in a race which he
won at Aurora.

The next step towards the limit of speed for
trotters was made in the two-year-old division of
the Kentucky Futurity. In the first heat of that race
Hanover's Bertha reduced the record to 2: 03 1/2- On
the next trip Main McElwyn showed in front at the
wire in 2:0314. At the finish of each heat the Ken-
tucky yell whirled through the stands but the out-
burst was mild to what was heard the following week
when Main McElwyn won the first heat of the Lex-
ington Stake by a neck from Hanover's Bertha in
2:023/^.

This looked like the limit for a two-year-old trotter
but Berry felt that he had a little more speed than
his filly had shown. The following week he brought
her out again and in a trip against the watch placed
the world's record at 2 :02, each half of the mile being
trotted in 1 :01. This flight together with that shown

268 RACEALONG

by Hollyrood Colin and Miss Bertha Hanover placed
the acid stamp of merit on the new mixture Peter
Volo and Dillon Axworthy.

Volomite was the three-year-old which showed
that he could defeat the aged horses just as his sire
could have done in 1914 when he was a champion
at that age. His record of 2:03l^ was made in the
Charter Oak Purse at Hartford.

Few stallions have ever had as many first flight
winners in one season as were credited to Peter Volo.
In addition to Hanover's Bertha and Volomite his
honor roll in 1929 presented the names of Cold Cash
with a two-year-old record of 2:05i4 rnade over a
half-mile track against aged horses, Hollyrood High
Boy, Hollyrood Volo, Hollyrood Chief, Etta Volo,
Hollyrood Colin, Dermat, IVTiss Bertha Hanover and
Plucky.

The following table contains the names of the
leading sires of winners in 1929:

Peter Volo 83 Etawah 26

Guy Axworthy 72 Peter the Great 22

Belwin 61 General Watts 21

San Francisco 51 Peter Scott 21

Chestnut Peter 46 Dillon Axworthy 19

Grattan Royal 42 McGregor the Great 12

Hedgewood Boy 39 The Senator 10

Ortolan Axwxorthy .... 33

Guy Axworthy was represented on the turf in 1929
by a remarkable group of aged horses of which the
leaders were Full Worthy, the winner of the $10,000
event at Syracuse, Guy Ozark, the winner of the
Transylvania, Gaylworthy, the winner of the Walnut
Hall Cup, High Noon, San Guy, Saint Guy, Sweet
Echo, winner of eleven races over the half-mile

RACEALONG 269

tracks, and Guy Aubrey, winner of twenty-five races
on the western tracks. His outstanding colts were
the two-year-old Guy Day that was timed saparately
in 2:031/4 in the Lexington Stake and the three-year-
old pacer Petroguy with which Palin won eight races
in the Grand Circuit.

Labrador and Bronx were the leaders in the Bel-
win group. Palin won eight races with Labrador,
one of them being the $25,000 pace at Toledo. Bronx
won twelve races over the half-mile tracks where the
competition was keen. The other prominent ones by
Belwin were Crawford, Cherokee Hal, Flambo with
which Harry Brusie defeated Bronx and Everglade.

Of the fifty-one winners credited to San Francisco,
the most of them were seen on the half-mile tracks.
The best showing was made by Neil Frisco, Andy
Frisco, a brother to Sanardo, Quick Assets, and
Betsey Prigg.

Chestnut Peter the fourth Walnut Hall Farm stal-
lion to appear in this group, flashed into the flood
light when Peter Cowl won the $25,000 trot at Toledo
in 2:02. That event made him the outstanding trot-
ter of the year. His showing was followed by the
series of races in which Chester Stout, Bray Stout,
Peter Leonard, and the two-year-old colt Wedgemere
took the word and won.

The outstanding winners in the Grattan Royal
group were Darkey Grattan, Willis Grattan and King
Grattan. Cap Leggett, Hunter Hedgewood, and
Hedgewood K. were the best in the Hedgewood Boy
lot. Of the thirty-three winners by Ortolan Axwor-

270 RACEALONG

thy, Guy Worthy and Miss Neva were the best. Red
Etawah led the Etawah winners after Trumpet
dropped out while Lullawat and Lucy Lullwater were
the best among the representatives of Peter the
Great.

Steve Watts was the fastest of the twenty-one
winners by General Watts. Highland Scott, Clara
Bascom and Nora Scott were the most successful
representatives of Peter Scott.

Of the nineteen winners by Dillon Axworthy, Ax-
worthy Pride, Miss Hanover, Hanover Dillon and
Nancy Hanover were the best. Contender and Sir
Guy Mac were the leaders among the McGregor the
Greats. Both of them took the word in the fastest
company. He was also well represented on the half-
mile rings by Heatherbell, Net Worth and Terry
McGregor.

The young sires The Senator and Mr. McElwyn
showed that they were on their way to world honors.
Of The Senator lot Sally Romes, Young Senator,
Senator Brewer, Rippling Water, Senator Perkins
and You'll Do won in the fast company. All of the
Mr. McElwyn representatives were two-year-olds and
from his first crop of foals. Of this group Main Mc-
Elwyn won nine races and placed the race record for
foals of his age at 2:02%. Jessamine was timed
separately in a race in 2:05. Pola McElwyn trotted
almost as fast. She was a contender and usually a
heat winner in the most of her races. Leona the
Great won three of her four starts and made a rec-
ord of 2:10 in a trip against time.

RACEALONG 271

PREPARING A CHAMPION

One day at Macon, Ga., Thomas W. Murphy made
a few remarks in reference to the handling of
champion light harness performers which won their
laurels with him in the sulky. He had all kinds from
two-year-olds to aged performers and only one ever
reduced his mark "after leaving the stable.

He said, ''Every effort must be made to not
make a horse dull or in other words knock the edge
off his speed. A horse should be worked within four
or five seconds of where he was expected to go but
a part of the mile should be at top speed."

*'I found," he continued, ''when getting game
cocks ready for a main if they were worked until
tired they put up a good contest but did not have
the whizz to win. By stopping them short of the
limit they had enough reserve left to carry them
into a fight with a dash that usually resulted in a
victory.

"I tried this with horses and got satisfactory re-
sults. By training them well within themselves
they always had a flash of reserve speed which
reached the point desired. Peter Manning was a
splendid example of this kind of work. He never was
permitted to rush up to the top of his speed until
it was wanted and he always had more than was
expected."

The reference to this horse recalls years that have
elapsed since he trotted in 1:56% at Lexington.
There is not a horse in sight that looks as if he had

272 RACEALONG

a chance of trotting within three or four seconds of
that mark. In 1926 at Reading, Pa., he trotted the
half-mile track in 2:02l^. In 1925 he cut the two-
mile records on both the mile and half-mile tracks.
On the larger ovals he trotted in 4:10l^ and on the
two-lap course at Birmingham, Ala., in 4:23. The
rate for the two miles on the mile track was a
shade over 2:05 and on the half-mile track 2:111/^.

With the exception of Goldsmith Maid, Peter
Manning has remained on the turf longer than any
other champion since Flora Temple placed the
world's record at 2:19% at Kalamazoo in 1859. That
mark remained unbeaten for eight years. Dexter
changed it to 2:17^/4 in 1867 and was retired to the
road by Robert Bonner.

A few months after Dexter was taken from his
stable Budd Doble secured Goldsmith Maid. She
reached her limit of 2:14 in 1874. Rarus cut the
mark to 2:131/4 in 1878. Robert Bonner also pur-
chased him.

St. Julien was the next champion. In 1879 he trot-
ted the track at Oakland, Cal., in 2:12%, the per-
formance being made memorable by the presence
of General Grant who was then returning to the
United States after his trip around the world. In
1880 Maud S. and St. Julien both trotted in 2:1134
on the same day at Rochester, N. Y. Two weeks
later the Volunteer gelding broke the tie by reducing
his record to 2:111/4 over Charter Oak Park at Hart-
ford. That proved his limit.

Maud S. moved on to a faster mark at Chicago

SHOE WORN BY ST. JULIEN

WHEN HE TROTTED IN 2:11% AT

HARTFORD, CONN., AUGUST 27, 1880

RACEALONG 273

where she trotted in 2:10%. No other rival ap-
peared to challenge the laurels of the Harold mare
until 1884 when Jay Eye See trotted in 2:10 at
Providence. The following day his challenge was
answered by a trip in 2:09% by Maud S. at Cleve-
land. She cut another second from this mark over
the same course in 1885.

Maud S. was then retired to the road. Her title
was not disputed until 1891 when Marvin.' drove
Sunol in 2:08^4 over the kite track at Stockton, Cal.

In 1892 the bike sulky appeared and records be-
gan to tumble. To high wheels Nancy Hanks trot-
ted in 2:09. To the bike she trotted in 2:04. This
performance showed that the new style of vehicle
although at the time very crude made a difference
of five seconds in a horse's speed.

From this point the champions started on their
way to two minutes. In 1894 Alix cut the world's
record to 2:03% and in 1900 The Abbott placed the
figure at 2:03l^. The following year Cresceus placed
the world's record at 2:02i/4. He was the only stal-
lion that ever held it and strange to relate he was
driven in the performance by George Ketcham who
bred and developed him.

The two-minute point was reached in 1903 by
Lou Dillon. After trotting a mile at Readville, Mass.
in even time she moved the figure down to 1 : 58 1/2
at Memphis in October. This mark remained at the
top of the list until 1910 when Uhlan trotted in
l:58l^. In 1912 the Bingen gelding 'changed the
figure to 1:58. This was the mark that Peter Man-

274 RACEALONG

ning attacked in 1921 when he trotted in 1:57%.
The following year he changed it to 1:56% and in
so doing equalled the best mile ever made by a pacer
in the open, that mark being made by Directum I.
at Syracuse in 1915.

TROTTERS IN ENGLAND

An interesting manuscript, attesting the antiquity
of the trotting and pacing horses in England, re-
cently turned up in the hands of B. Halliday, a
bookseller of Leicester. It is the original toll book
of the ancient fair held annually at the village of
Market Bosworth, on the borders of Warwickshire
and Leicestershire, within a few miles of Shake-
speare's birthplace, at Stratford-on-Avon.

In these toll books, of which this one is believed
to be the only surviving example, were recorded all
the transactions made at the fairs in the important
matters of horse dealing, this having been the main
object in holding them three hundred years ago. The
record of all transactions includes the names and
addresses of buyers and sellers, together with those
of a third party, called the 'Voucher," who was ap-
parently a surety that the purchase money should
be forthcoming and that the horse should be as
described in the toll book.

A specimen entry quoted in the bookseller's cata-
logue, refers to a transaction in which the seller
was apparently a kinsman of the immortal bard,

RACEALONG 275

while the horse was a double-gaited one, that could
both trot and pace with speed enough to distinguish
him from the common run of horses. Here is the
entry as written in one of the years when William
Shakespeare was at "the top of his form" :

"John Shakespeare, of Newbold, in Com. Leic,
sould a graye Nagg fflea bitten, trottinge and Rack-
inge, with a Brande v. p. and s., to Thomas Jesson,
of Mountsorrel, in Com. Leic, pryce xlijs. Voucher
John Chapman, of Whittwicke."

The poet's father was John Shakespeare, but he
died in 1601, two years before the earliest entry in
the toll book was made. These entries cover the
period between 1603 and 1632, with a few years
missing, but with brief descriptions of something
like 5,000 horses and names and addresses of 12^00
men. The rarity and importance of the toll book
is indicated by the fact that it is priced at $600.

MAKING MR. McELWYN

One evening at Longwood, Florida, Ben White
when in a reminiscent mood said "Mr. McElwyn
was the toughest horse I ever had anything to do
with. I had him in my stable for over three years.
During that time he went through all kinds of ex-
periences that a trotter could have and never took a
lame step or even had a cough. At meal time he
was always rearing for his food and -on race day
ready to go.

276 RACEALONG

"I never heard of this colt until the last day of the
Lexington meeting in 1922. That evening Mr. Ellis
and I were sitting in front of my stable at the track
when W. H. L. McCourtie drove up in a taxi. He
called me aside and asked if I would train a colt for
him. I told him that I would be pleased to. He then
told me that he had a yearling by Guy Axworthy
out at Walnut Hall Farm and that when I got around
to it I could telephone them to bring him over to the
track, and send him the bill to Dallas. With that he
was off but later on he told some of his friends that
he was satisfied that if I had asked to see the colt
before deciding to train him he thought I would have
turned him down.

"Later on when I was getting the yearlings to-
gether to be ground broken and sorted for the trip to
Orlando I requested Harry Burgoyne to send me Mr.
McCourtie's colt. He arrived in a few days and on
looking him over I found that he was a big husky
youngster. He was rather thin at that time and
about as tough looking a customer as ever entered
my stable.

''However, I started the men ground breaking him
and getting him used to harness. Finally after he
had been hitched I drove him a few times and found
that he had a lot of natural speed although he was
sprawly gaited behind.

''When the horses were shipped to Orlando the
Widow Maggie colt went along for sampling. When
he hit the half-mile track my troubles began. When-
ever he was asked to step he either hit the cart or

RACEALONG 277

made breaks on the turns of the half-mile track.
Once or twice he tried to run off with me when he
hit the cart but I always managed to stop him and
get him to the stable without an accident.

'Trom the start I w^as satisfied that this colt would
make a fast trotter so I decided to go easy with him
until I returned to the mile track at Lexington in
April. Everything went along as I planned until
about the first of June. By that time a big curb
popped out on one of the Widow Maggie colt's hocks.
He did not go lame on it but I went rather slow on
account of it.

'Tinally Mr. McCourtie dropped into town one
day and came over to the track. I told him that he
had what looked like a fast colt trotter, that he was
very growthy and had a curb but was not lame on
it. After seeing him work he asked what I would
suggest in regard to his two-year-old engagements.
I told him that the best thing to do so far as I
could determine was to geld him, get the curb bet-
ter and if he came out all right to prepare him for
the stakes late in the fall or hold him over until the
following year.

''Before leaving Mr. McCourtie told me to do what-
ever I thought best but that he would be pleased to
race him if I thought he could make a favorable
showing. As he did not go lame on the curb I kept
on with him and before shipping to Cleveland it
disappeared leaving the colt's hock as smooth as
the day he was foaled.

'When I shipped to Cleveland Mr. McElwyn was

(i^

278 RACEALONG

taken along. After he arrived at Cleveland and be-
fore very much had been done with him a curb pop-
ped out on the other hock. By that time I thought I
was up against it but the colt never took a lame step
and finally that curb disappeared just as the first one
did. Mr. McElwyn went on just as if nothing had
happened and after he made a record of 2:04 the
idea of gelding him was abandoned.

"As a three-year-old he raced in 2:02 in the Ken-
tucky Futurity defeating Guy Richard and later on
made a time record of 1:59%. Mr. McElwyn was
kept in training as a four-year-old in 1925 in order
to reduce his record. At Syracuse and several other
places he failed to get a start on account of un-
favorable weather and finally we were rained out at
Lexington.

"After the close of that meeting I shipped to At-
lanta leaving Mr. McElwyn with Dick McMahon and
requested him to give him as much work as he could
so that he would be ready to start when I returned.
A wet track kept him in the stall the most of the
time.

"After my return the weather continued unfavor-
able and finally one morning Mr. McCourtie asked
me what we had better do. I told him that we did
not have a chance at Lexington and that there was
no place to go unless we shipped to Phoenix, Ari-
zona. The next morning when Mr. McCourtie came
out to the track he told me that he had engaged a
car to ship to Arizona and that he had also called
up the Secretary of the track at Phoenix and had

RACEALONG 279

been assured that the track would be put in shape
if he shipped there.

"As I was situated at that time I could not get
away and suggested Vance Nuckols to take charge
of the horse. As he had some horses going to the
New York sale he could not leave. We then got in
touch with Vic Fleming. He hopped on the train and
made the trip.

*'Mr. McElwyn shipped in top form as usual.
While I was in New York at the sale I received a
telegram to come on and drive him. I went and on
December 17 Mr. McElwyn trotted in 1:59V2> equal-
ling the four-year-old record. As Mr. McCourtie was
of the opinion that his horse could do a little better
Vic Fleming remained at Phoenix and on January
9, 1926 gave Mr. McElwyn a five-year-old record
of 1:591^.

''A few days after this performance Mr. Mc-
Elwyn was shipped to Lexington. When he arrived
the streets of the city were covered with ice and the
thermometer was almost down to zero. It did not
bother him a particle and in a few weeks Henry
Jones had him making his first season in the stud.
The showing that his first crop of foals made as
two-year-olds in 1929 proved that a valuable stock
horse was saved for the breed when I decided not
to geld him in 1923."

280 RACEALONG

OCCIDENT STAKE

Charles W. Paine, manager of the California State
Fair, when referring to the Occident Stake said that
it was named after Occident, a trotter, owned by
Governor Stanford.

This gelding was foaled in 1863. He was by Doc out
of a little bay mare probably from Lower Califor-
nia. Until he was six years old Occident was a
common delivery horse, pulling a bakery wagon
around the streets of Sacramento. One day he ran
away, trotting. A trainer named Elred, seeing him,
exclaimed ''Holy Mike, that plug is some trotter."
Following him he purchased the gelding and began
training him.

About this time Governor Stanford was planning
a stock farm afterwards known as Palo Alto. As
the bakery horse had shown considerable speed.
Governor Stanford purchased him for $5,000 and
named him Occident. He was then placed in the
hands of James Eoff.

In 1872 the Pacific Coast trotting associations
made an offer of $7,500 for a series of trotting races
between Goldsmith Maid driven by Bud Doble, and
Lucy handled by Orrin Hickok. Their first exhibi-
tion race was over the Sacramento track, Septem-
ber 28, 1872. Goldsmith Maid won in 2:1714. Eoff
refused to start, but after the race he drove Occi-
dent an exhibition mile in 2:211/2.

In the third race, October 16, again at Sacra-
mento, it was announced far and wide that Occident

RACEALONG 281

would start with the mares. Excursion trains were
run from all points, and over 7,000 people were pres-
ent. The Maid took all three heats, but Occident
compelled her to trot in 2:201/2, 2:20l^, 2:22.

The Sacramento people went wild over the result,
as their favorite was the fastest in the State, either
trotter or pacer, and he was owned by a resident
of the capitol city, Governor Stanford.

In appreciation of that fact the State Fair di-
rectors of 1873 offered a piece of plate valued at
$2,000 for any horse beating the best time on rec-
ord in California. It was a cinch that Occident
would win that plate, as the fastest record of that
day was made by Sam Purdy, 2:23V2- On Septem-
ber 17 Occident trotted in 2:16% equalling the
world's record which was at that time held by Gold-
smith Maid.

The following year Occident defeated Judge Ful-
lerton in races at San Francisco and in 1878 when
he was fifteen years old he again defeated Judge
Fullerton and Pat Hunt at Sacramento.

By 1880 Governor Stanford had estabhshed Palo
Alto and had a number of good colts by Electioneer.
He suggested to the California State fair directors
that they offer a $400 gold cup and a purse of $2,000
for three-year-old trotters. The directors accepted
the suggestion and the first Occident Stake was
raced September 20, 1881. There were five entries,
among them Palo Alto colt, Fred Low. There was
but one starter, Albert W. by Electioneer. He had
a walk-over in 2:54. The previous week at San

282 RACEALONG

Francisco, he won from Flight in 2:43. This was
the start of colt racing in California which in the
next few years produced such champions as Hinda
Rose, Sunol and Arion.

YE GOOD OLD TIMES

March 19, 1802, the New York Assembly passed
a law prohibiting training or racing trotting, pacing
or running horses, and also demanded the prose-
cution of anyone announcing any public contest be-
tween horses.

This law was amended March 30, 1821, and the
new statute permitted *'the training of pacing, trot-
ting and running horses in Queens county for a
period of five years." The sheriff was required to
be present at all trials.

In 1825 the New York Trotting Club was organ-
ized for the purpose of improving the speed of road
horses. Its track was the first trotting course which
was ever built. Following the organization of this
club the legislature again, upon April 3, 1826, amend-
ed the law by taking off the time limit.

The Hunting Park Association was formed in
Philadelphia in February 1827, and the Baltimore
Trotting Association in 1829.

In 1821 the law-makers of Pennsylvania passed a
law forbidding racing, and attached the following
clause: "No person shall print or cause to be
printed, set up or cause to be set up, any advertis-
ing mentioning the time and place for the running,
trotting or pacing of any horses, mares or geldings."

RACEALONG 283

RINGERS

Every sport has parasites that are constantly
preying upon it. The methods adopted to reach a
few of the ball players in the 1919 world series is
a sample of their work when they have large
amounts to operate with.

On the running turf they shadow owners who are
willing to take a chance or drop attractive baits in
front of successful jockies who are fond of the
bright lights or living beyond their means. At inter-
vals a few of them get together and by disguising
a good horse manage to win a race at attractive
odds. Such coupes, however, are rare as they have
to get by the handicapper as well as the public.

For years the trotting turf was the stamping
ground of the ringers. Its system of record classi-
fication offered unusual inducements for unscrupu-
lous owners and drivers "to work one over." In
other words, they took the chance of starting a fast
trotter or pacer under a false name in a slow class
to make a killing.

The opportunity to win large amounts with such
a horse was not as great as among the gallopers.
There were no pool rooms scattered all over the
country to which bets could be wired without creat-
ing suspicion on the course where the race was con-
tested.

At times there were a few who siipped by for
three or four meetings or even a season without
being detected. A plausible story helped as well as

284 RACEALONG

the rating of the people who had them in tow. Such
work required careful preparation but at the end of
the season the manipulators were fortunate if they
broke even.

Finally the money winning classification put the
ringer out of business. While on the other hand if
some one tried it the suspect was very apt to be
beaten by a colt or a local horse that was racing
on the level. With miles below 2:10 even on half-
mile tracks there was no place left for a ringer to get
the money unless he moved back in the bushes
as the purses are not large enough to pay expenses.

Tempest

Years before the autos drove fast trotters off the
soft roads in all the big cities, a wealthy New
Yorker named Potter had a road mare with a fast
record. He went to Vermont for the summer and
took his trotter with him. Early in July both Mr.
Potter and his wife were taken down with typhoid
fever. A brother-in-law named Hammond was sent
for. When the horse was discussed he suggested
sending her across the lake to Plattsburg, N. Y.,
where she could be exercised on the race track.

When the mare arrived at the track, she was turned
over to a man named Wright. He gave her a little
slow work to a cart and finally hitched her to a sulky
to see what she could do. Hammond dropped in oc-
casionally. One morning Wright suggested that they
race the mare and make a dollar. Hammond hesi-

RACEALONG 285

tated as Mr. Potter might see a reference to it in
the papers. Wright soon convinced him that the
easiest way was to change her name and race in slow
classes.

With this pair, to think was to act. Sure money
looked good to Hammond. The last week in August
Hammond and Wright arrived at Syracuse, N. Y.
with a trotter She was entered in a slow class as
Lady Leicester.

When the race was started. Lady Leicester lost
the first two heats. Wright then went on and won.
Before the deciding heat, William Johnston of New
York, who was acting as a judge, became suspicious
on account of the clever manner in which the un-
known trotter was finishing her miles. He called her
driver to the stand. When he appeared, Johnston
looked him over and asked if he was not the expelled
man Bill Wright. He replied without a moment's
hesitation, *'No sir, I am his brother."

Two weeks later a mare named Mollie A. appeared
on the entry list for a fall meeting at Cleveland,
Ohio. She was shipped from Buffalo. Mollie A.
was entered in the 2:40 class. The other starters
were Exarch, a brother to Wyandot owned by George
Hopper, who made a fortune manufacturing barrels
for the Standard Oil Company before tank cars
and pipe lines were thought of; Myrtle R., a clever
trotter by Monaco, that was bred by a farmer named
Conkey, who lived near North Rand^tll; Beatrice
Patchen owned by Dr. Day of Waterloo, N. Y., and
two others, both of which were distanced.

286 RACEALONG

All of the farm boys in North Randall and at the
Forest City Farm bet their summer savings on
Myrtle R. Joe Rhea was selected to drive her. In
her work she had shown fast enough to trim any
horses that were in the habit of starting at the
autumn meetings.

The race proved a procession. Mollie A. won as
she pleased. There was mourning in North Randall
that evening.

The next morning, L. H. Eckhart, who had a few
horses in a sale that was in progress that week in
Cleveland, remembered that Mollie A., owned by
H. Allen of Buffalo, was lame and turned out. This
was reported to W. B. Fasig. Upon looking up his
correspondence, Fasig found that while Mollie A.
was entered from Buffalo, the party making it wired
from Palmyria, N. Y., to learn if the entry had been
received.

The driver of Mollie A. gave his name to the
clerk of the course as Hall. The next morning Dr.
Day met him near the track gate. After taking a
close look at him, he said, *'Why, Bill Wright, how
are you? I did not recognize you yesterday."

Wright did not have much to say and when he
started to move off, the Doctor said : ''Hold on. How
do you come to be driving at this meeting when you
are expelled?"

''I was," said Wright, "but I have been rein-
stated."

"Strange that I did not hear of it," said the
Doctor and putting his horse in a stall, he walked

RACEALONG 287

over to the Secretary's office. While they were talk-
ing, Wright dropped in and asked for the winnings
of Mollie A. Fasig told him he would have to wait
for Colonel Edwards to sign the check and that he
would not be at the track before noon. In the inter-
val the Glenville police were called in and Wright
was locked up in the village jail, charged with
getting money under false pretenses.

That afternoon there was a guessing match at the
race track as to what was the true name of Mollie
A. No one could find a clue. Telegrams to different
points did not get any information. Hammond in
the interval rushed off to Cleveland and employed
J. P. Dawley to defend his driver.

Like every one in Cleveland, he could not be
persuaded to do anything that would injure the race
meeting, or annoy Colonel Edwards, who is now
remembered as the father of Major-General Clarence
R. Edwards, leader of the twenty-sixth Division in
the World's War. Dawley had a session with the
Colonel after the day's racing. In the interval C. F.
Emery went on Wright's bond, taking the mare
as security. Wright was released. On advice of
council he stated that the proper name of Mollie A.
was Tempest by Hawthorne. That interested the
racing officials more than a case in court.

Tempest was bred at Stockton, California and sold
to some one in Valparaiso, Chili. Another transfer
took her across the Andes Mountains to Beunos
Ayers. As there was no light harness races in the
Argentine Republic, an American buyer picked her

288 RACEALONG

up and took her to New York, where Mr. Potter
purchased her.

Forfeiting all claims to the purse, Hammond,
Wright and Mollie A. faded from Cleveland. In a
few days they appeared at Port Huron, Mich. The
news of their exploit in northern Ohio preceded
them. As soon as they learned of it, they removed
the boards from the back of Tempest's stall and
disappeared in the night. They afterwards started
at two meetings in Arkansas and Texas, where they
called their trotter Lady Lightfoot. A pool seller
recognized the outfit. When he told the racing offi-
cials what they did in Ohio, the sheriff gave them
an hour to get on their way.

Wright died expelled. No penalty was imposed
against Tempest, as when Mr. Potter recovered he
appeared before the governing board and proved that
he was at death's door when Hammond and Wright
were ringing his road mare.

Dry Monopole

Wright's trip with a sick man's horse recalls the
trick which Bert Schaeffer turned with one that
was reported dead. In 1903 George B. Fleming pur-
chased the pacer Dick Wilson, 2:08, and changed
his name to Dry Monopole. Fleming died the follow-
ing year. His wife lived in Pittsburgh. She con-
signed the horse to a New York sale. Bert Schaeffer
was employed to take charge of Dry Monopole and
see that he appeared in the sale ring in good condi-
tion.

R A C E A L 0 N G 289

The horse contracted a cold while in transit. On
sale day his temperature was one hundred and four.
A veterinary said he was threatened with pneu-
monia. As no one would purchase a horse in that
condition, he was withdrawn and arrangements
made to consign him in the next sale if he recovered.

Schaeffer shipped Dry Monopole to Somerville,
N. J. He was placed in Opdyke's stable. No one saw
him while there with his hood, blanket or bandages
removed.

In about a week, Schaeffer wrote Mrs. Fleming
that Dry Monopole was dead and that he was offered
$100 for his equipment. She instructed him to sell
and send her whatever was left after the bills were
paid. Schaeffer also sent a notice of the horse's death
to the press. As he was well known it was printed
everywhere.

On May 30, 1905, Bert Schaeffer won a pacing race
at Prospect Park, Baltimore, with the brown gelding
Tasberg in 2:18%. The horse showed so much
speed in each of the heats that the other drivers
looked him over very closely. One of them wired me
for a description of Dry Monopole. I sent it to him
and added that the horse was reported dead.

The following day a letter was received, giving a
description of Tasberg. It fitted Dry Monopole in
every particular except that he was a gelding and
Dry Monopole a stallion. At that time Jack Rom-
baugh was training at Charter Oak Park. He said
he would know Dry Monopole's hide -in a tan yard.
I requested him to go with me to Baltimore the fol-

290 RACEALONG

lowing week, where Tasberg was named to start at
Electric Park.

Schaeff er was warming up the gelding for his race
when we arrived at the track. It only required a
glance to identify him as Dry Monopole. As soon as
his name was mentioned, Ben Walker and half a
dozen others recognized him instantly.

Later it was learned that Schaeff er after reporting
Dry Monopole dead, shipped him to Coatesville, Pa.
He secured employment as night clerk in a hotel and
jogged the horse every afternoon. As soon as
Schaeff er was located, he called in a local veterinary
to castrate the horse. He refused and said if he
caught cold it would kill him. One was called from
Philadelphia. He performed the operation and the
horse recovered.

As soon as Dry Monopole was in shape for road
work, Schaeffer sold him for $700 as a green horse
to E. P. Dickinson, a local contractor. Dickinson em-
ployed Schaeffer to drive him. They named him Tas-
berg and after training him for a few weeks on a
local track shipped him to the Gentlemen's Driving
Park at Baltimore, where he made his first start.

After the exposure, Mrs. Fleming's attorney re-
plevined the horse. Dickinson re-replevined him.
Later on when he found that his driver's statements
could not be depended on, he surrendered the horse.
Schaeffer was expelled at Electric Park, when the
horse was identified. He enjoys the doubtful honor
of being the only driver penalized for racing a horse
six months after he wrote its obituary.

RACEALONG 291

Jack London

In the fall of 1911 when Lester Dore was racing
at Hills Grove, R. L, he was called over the long
distance from Worcester, Mass., and requested to
drive a chestnut gelding named Baker, that was
entered to start the following day. As he did not
have a horse in the event, Lester said he would take
the mount.

The following morning when Dore went to Baker's
stall to prepare him for the race, he found a very
sick horse. Something that looked like distemper
had developed during the night. Instead of racing
Baker, Dore called on the Secretary and cancelled
the engagement. Baker was shipped to Worcester.
Nothing more was heard of him until the following
spring when the members of the matinee club were
busy preparing their horses for a home series and
an inter-city meeting with Springfield.

In the interval, A. E. Richardson of Flint, Mich.,
located at Worcester. He began training Baker.
When Richardson arrived. Baker was wearing an
equipment that goes with a dangerous horse. As a
starter, the Michigan reinsman shortened his toes,
reduced the weight of his shoes, threw aside his
boots, and standing martingale, and substituted an
old fashioned side check for the overdraw.

In a few days Baker was a perfectly mannered
trotter. When the matinees started, it was just play
for him to defeat the Worcester horses. Joseph
Roberts, his owner, like all French-Canadians, was
very proud of his trotter.

292 RACEALONG

When the inter-city matinee was held, Baker won
his engagement. Joshua Brooks, the President of
the Eastern States Exposition, remarked ''Roberts
was awarded a cup over me that I would have given
almost anything to have had the pleasure of placing
on the mantle of my home."

A soon as the matinees were disposed of, Richard-
son started to get Baker in condition for a trip to the
races. Those who had seen him in the amateur
events and were inclined to risk a few dollars on the
result of a horse race decided to keep an eye on him.
In other words, they planned to be present with a
few tickets in their pocket marked Baker against
the field no matter what was in it or when the event
was raced.

Baker's first engagement was at Montreal. A
number of New England horses were entered to start
at the same meeting, John Reay of Boston having
Gold Bingen in the race with him. The strike breaker
James Farley also had his stable at Montreal, one of
his candidates being Billy Miller. This horse was
also named to start against Baker.

When the starters were posted in the betting ring,
one named Professor Sphinx appeared at the bottom
and Baker at the top. Before Frank Muzzey began
selling, his clerk rubbed off Baker. As he did the
New Englanders took it for granted that the horse
was being held over for another race later in the
week.

Farley was of the opinion that Billy Miller could
win. He backed him freely, while each of his friends

RACEALONG 293

from Plattsburg, N. Y., had a few tickets to make
expense money. John Reay purchased several cheap
tickets on Gold Bingen. He also kept his eye on
Roberts and Richardson. The pair conferred for a
few minutes near the Judges' stand. Richardson
then walked over to the stable. After entering a
stall, he came out and signalled to Roberts by lifting
his hat. As he did, the Worcester contractor walked
over to the pool stand and began buying Professor
Sphinx. He appeared on the entry list as the prop-
erty of a firm in Nashua, N. H.

After several tickets had been knocked down to
him, Reay approached Roberts and said: ''How
about Baker, Joe?"

''You will not hear about him any more," said
Roberts.

"Why, what is coming off?" said Reay.

"Buy a few tickets on Professor Sphinx without
running up the price and you will find out," said the
Worcester man.

Reay took a few, Roberts not bidding against him.
When the Judges called the race, Richardson ap-
peared, as bold as a lion, in the sulky with the
horse which all the New Englanders knew as Baker,
but with the number assigned Professor Sphinx on
his arm.

It was then apparent what had been done to throw
them off. The race was only a light work out for
Professor Sphinx. Billy Miller was good, faster than
Farley expected, but the Worcester horse could move
away from him at any part of the mile.

294 RACEALONG

Farley demanded the identification of this new
trotter. His friends as well as a number of local
people also created such an uproar that all bets were
declared off and the winnings of the horse held up.

When Roberts and his driver returned to Wor-
cester, they were minus their expenses. They also
had considerable trouble getting out of Canada on
account of the two names for the one horse, when
the time came to release the bond at the custom
house.

A few weeks later Richardson appeared at Can-
ton, Ohio, with Professor Sphinx. Another plunge
was made on him. No one questioned his identity
as Ollie Iseman trimmed the pair to a frazzle with
Dolly S.

From that meeting to the end of the season, Pro-
fessor Sphinx was raced at fairs. At Allentown and
Mineola he showed his ability to beat 2:10 over a
half-mile track. A few were satisfied with the evi-
dence which Richardson produced to identify the
horse. Others were not, as no one had in years seen
a horse race at such a high rate of speed on a half-
mile track.

In October when the mile track trainers were busy
making a survey of the available racing material for
1913, both Cox and Murphy took the trail for Wor-
cester, where Professor Sphinx was located. Thomas
W. Murphy landed him for $5,000. The purchase
was made for C. W. Barnum of Lime Rock, Conn.

During all of this time a still hunt was being made
to locate the history of this horse. While it was

RACEALONG 295

known that he was not bred on a farm near Lapeer,
Mich., as reported by Richardson, it was not so easy
to show where he did come from.

Finally it was learned that the gelding Jack Lon-
don with a record of 2:12l^ was missing. His de-
scription tallied with that of Professor Sphinx. After
Murphy shipped the horse to Poughkeepsie, N. Y. I
made arrangements with Dell McLean of Galesburg,
111., who drove Jack London in his races, and Clif-
ford Stanley of Jerseyville, 111., who bred him, to
meet me there. They pronounced him Jack London.

At the same time it was learned from McLean
that in 1911 after the close of the Columbus, Ohio,
meeting, Jack London was shipped to his owners
stable at Louisiana, Missouri. A few days later a
man, at that time unknown to him, appeared and
asked if the horse was for sale. He was advised that
he was and was told the price. After it was fixed,
McLean hitched Jack London and drove him a slow
mile. The stranger, who was A. E. Richardson, then
mounted the sulky and brushed the horse through
the stretch a few times.

As he dismounted, he said he would take him. The
horse was paid for in currency and without even
waiting to cool him out, he led Jack London to town.
The horse was loaded that afternoon. The next
morning he was in St. Louis. He was expressed from
that point to Worcester, Mass. Richardson returned
to Michigan and the horse went on in charge of the
express messenger.

The Baker entry at Hills Grove, R. I., was made

296 RACEALONG

before the horse was purchased. When he arrived
at Worcester, he was re-shipped to Hills Grove. An
attack of distemper was all that prevented a clean-
up at the Rhode Island track.

When the identity of Jack London was estab-
lished, Roberts refunded his winnings and offered to
return the $5,000 if Barnum would give him the
horse. He claimed that Richardson purchased the
horse and sent him on as one without a record.
Richardson admitted this but afterwards denied it.

Murphy decided to keep Jack London and try him
on the mile tracks. He did not do very well. He
could not make him eat during the hot weather. In
October when the nights were cool Jack London won
a postponed race at Lexington in 2 :07i/4- He was then
passed on to the auctions.

By ringing this horse, Richardson lost a chance of
bringing out a Grand Circuit performer. The form
which the horse showed on the half-mile tracks in
1912 would have carried him to the front on the
larger ovals in 2:05 or better. The turn to the left
made him a turf outlaw. A turn to the right would
have made him a leading reinsman as well as a man
whose skill in balancing a horse would have placed
him on easy street for the balance of his career.

Edna L.

Turf buccaneers rarely make anything by their dis-
reputable transactions. When they do get a few
dollars, they are unable to keep them. The hold-up
man meets them at every turn. The tide turns against

RACEALONG 297

them when they least expect it. This is shown by the
career of Edna L., a nervy httle mare that made a
record of 2:091/4 over the half-mile track at Urbana,
111., in 1914.

Edna L. was developed by Deed Tinkler. As he
was on the sick Hst at the close of 1914, he decided
to sell her. An advertisement brought a buyer at
$1,000. A young man named Paul took the mare to
Indianapolis. He delivered her to two men whose
names were unknown to him. Edna L. disappeared.

On a stormy afternoon in March, 1915, three men
called on me. They said they lived in Waterbury,
Conn., and that their names were Delay, Russell and
Short. One of them produced a tabulated pedigree
of Sidney St. Clair, which was at one time owned by
Short. They were looking for information to register
a mare named Lady St. Clair by Sidney St. Clair out
of the dam of May Day, which had been raced over
the New England tracks and was then owned in
Portland, Maine.

Short said that he bred Lady St. Clair. After telling
them what was required, I advised them that she
could be raced even if she was not registered. Both
Delay and Russell, however, wanted a certificate to
show that Lady St. Clair was as represented. Finally
they passed out into the storm and were forgotten.

When Charter Oak Park was opened for spring
training. Lady St. Clair was shipped over from
Waterbury. Delay motored over twice a week to give
her fast work. Her groom did what was required on
other days. One morning she paced a quarter close

298 RACEALONG

to a two-minute gait. It was followed by a half-mile
at almost the same rate of speed. This attracted so
much attention that several people were anxious to
purchase her. Delay stood them off and said he would
think it over. Roy Martin made an offer of $1,000 and
a horse that cost him more than that amount. When
pressed for an answer Delay asked him to wait until
the following week as he had to consult his partner.
In the interval Lady St. Clair disappeared.

Nothing was heard of the whereabouts of Delay
and his mare until the daily press carried a story of
a race won by Lady St. Clair at Youngstown, Ohio.
Before starting there, the pair stopped at Conneaut
Lake, Pa., and won in 2:18l^. At Youngstown, Lady
St. Clair was in a field of ten horses. No attention
was paid to her. In the first heat she finished ninth.
On the next trip she was fourth. In the third mile
Delay rushed his mount through the field, fouling
everyone who came near him, and finished first. The
judges placed him last, giving the heat to Hal Actor.

All of the heat bets on Lady St. Clair were lost.
She won the next two and race, but Delay and Russell
won very little except the purse.

Bradford was the next stop. It had the reputation
of being the best betting town in the Lake Erie
Circuit. Plans were made for a clean up. Ten horses
started. After four heats Lady St. Clair stood fourth.
A second in 2:12l^ was the best she could show.
Delay and Russell were trimmed. They had to borrow
money to get back to Waterbury, where they raised
another bank roll.

RACEALONG 299

In the interval Lady St. Clair was given a let up
to get her in condition for another race in the coal
country. Belle Vernon was the place selected. Before
the race was called, I arrived with Clarence Cole of
Indianapolis, Ind. He looked over the horses at the
track and soon located Lady St. Clair as the missing
Edna L. At the time she was wearing a set of shoes
which Cole made for her.

Both Delay and Russell insisted that it was a case
of mistaken identity. They made an effort to sustain
their position by producing a statement from John
Short in which he stated that he bred Lady St. Clair.
They weakened, however, when it was shown that
the foal by Sidney St. Clair out of the dam of May
Day was a colt instead of a filly, and when they were
brought face to face with the man who delivered
Edna L. to them at Indianapolis.

In 1916 a brass moulder named Charley Root took
a flyer on the turf. He was raised in a small town
near Rochester, N. Y. Being a Jack-of -all-trades, he
ran a jitney for a brief period and then entered the
employ of J. W. Gyles. From him he had a chance
to learn the ins and outs of horse trading and racing
methods, which did not require an umbrella to make
them shady.

Early in 1916 Root's sister and her husband moved
from Rochester to Grand Marias, a village in Michi-
gan on the shore of Lake Superior. Root had his
mail shifted back and forth so as to give the impres-
sion that he was also located there, training the
chestnut mare The Princess by Electmont. Gyles

300 RACi^ALONG

purchased her at one of the New York sales, took
her to Rochester and as Root claimed handed her
over to him as payment for his wages.

About ten days prior to the meeting at Wheeling,
W. Va., Root appeared at the track with a chestnut
mare. She was entered in a slow class as The
Princess. When the race was finished, she was third
to The Rascal, Arnold being between the pair with
Walter S. The fastest heat was paced in 2:13l^.

The Princess won the next week at Dawson, Pa.
From there she was shipped to Waynesburg. Root
started her in two races and won both of them. Her
winnings were stopped under a demand for identifi-
cation.

As Pennsylvania was no longer a fertile field,
Root billed his pacer to Winston-Salem, N. C. He
entered her as Lady Hermond by Hamlin's Almont
Jr. She won, but before the race was finished, a
man who had a few gallopers at the meeting went to
the stand and told the judges that he had seen the
same mare racing in Pennsylvania as The Princess.
Root heard of it and skipped.

The groom drove the mare to a wayside station,
outside of the big tobacco town, and shipped her to
Rochester, N. Y.

While looking about for another place to raid, the
chestnut mare Flora A. by Altoneer, which was
then owned in Rochester, was brought home with
a big knee. She had been starting in New York,
where she won at Mineola in 2:14l^, defeating
Lizzie March. Knowing that Flora A. would not be

RACEALONG 301

in condition to race until the following season, Root
tacked her name on his pacer and shipped to Wind-
sor, Conn., for the overcoat meeting. Upon his
arrival he entered his mare as Flora A. in the 2:14
pace.

When race day arrived, Harry Brusie was selected
to drive her. Before taking the mount, he skirmished
around among the trainers and grooms who had
been racing in New York state and asked them if
Flora A. had a chance. ''Red" Hanifan and a few
others, who had seen the genuine Flora A., thought
she had. Brusie made a bet on her and won the first
heat in 2:13l^. O'Brien landed the next two with
R. C. H., Root having in the interval backed his mare
to win the event. The fourth heat went to Tillie
Tipton in 2 : 111/2. It was Saturday. The sun was drop-
ping behind the trees when Tillie Tipton finished her
heat. Night stopped the race. R. C. H. with two heats
won was awarded first place. Root's money was gone.

There was still another chance at Woonsocket the
following week. After a five-heat session. Flora A.
won. The deciding heat was paced in 2:191/4. The
judges declared the bets oif. Root was up against it
again. He shipped his gambling tool to Waterbury,
Conn., charges to follow. She was Edna L. dyed
chestnut.

In 1917 a slip of a boy named Erie Shelton of
Davidson, Mich., appeared at Wheeling, W. Va., with
a brown mare named Ethel Starplex. He had been
racing a mare of that name and color -over the tracks
on the Michigan thumb without getting her out of

302 RACEALONG

the 2:20 class. No one paid any attention to him.

The first two heats of the race in which Ethel
Starplex started were won by John Arnold with
Walter S. in 2:121/4. She did not show in either of
them.

On the next trip Ethel Starplex rushed off in front
but Ben Jones caught her in 2: 14 14 on account of
a little hard racing luck. The next three were won
easily by Shelton.

Prior to the third heat, a slim built man with
white hair and a scar on the side of his chin was very
active in the betting ring. As soon as Bob Anderson,
the race manager of the meeting, saw him he knew
that there was something being put over. The man
was A. E. Richardson, who rung Jack London. Arnold
also spotted the brown mare by her behavior when
scoring. He called the turn when he said she was the
same mare that had raced against him the preceding
year as The Princess. The money was held.

The following week at Clarksburg, the Michigan
raiders decided they would get the money by copper-
ing their pacer, and bet against her. She started
favorite and finished last in the first two heats in
2:23l^. The judges put up another driver. He won
with Ethel Starplex on a jog in 2:171/4. The bets
stood. The purse was held and the marauders were
trimmed again. That night they shipped out. Ethel
Starplex was Edna L. dyed brown. She was under
the management of A. E. Richardson, who used the
boy who owned the genuine Ethel Starplex for a
blind.

R A C E A L 0 N G 303

For half a century, the Wilhams family have been
horse dealers and traders in Connecticut. When
Prince Williams, the head of the family, died, his
sons Dick and Belcher continued the business. Their
sister married another dealer named Squires. Her
sons took up dealing in horses. In 1918 one of them
named Belcher, when racing in Vermont, traded for
the black mare Sister Hal. He thought that she would
make a fair pacer but a win in 2:221/2 was the best
that was placed to her credit.

This did not stop them from entering her at the
Windsor overcoat meeting. Her race was won by
Margaret Dillon in 2:171/4, Sister Hal being distanced
in the third heat. No one paid any attention to the
outfit other than to notice that the mare raced in
hopples with a big sheepskin roll for a shadow bhnd.

When the association added a second week on ac-
count of Woonsocket declaring off, Squires entered
Sister Hal in a faster class with Princess Cecilian,
Tommy Hayes and King Bob. It looked like a crime
to take his entrance money. When the race was pro-
grammed, the members of the Williams family, none
of whom were ever known prior to that date to bet
ten dollars on a fixed race, were hopping around,
bidding for tickets on Sister Hal. Starting off at
five dollars in tickets that called for fifty, they were
so anxious to get their money on that they began
bidding against each other or men whom some of
them had selected to put on a little money for them.

In a few minutes Sister Hal was alrhost even with
the field, in which there were three or four horses

304 RACEALONG

which could race several seconds faster than
Margaret Dillon did the preceding week when Sister
Hal finished behind the flag. Surmising that some-
thing was wrong, the wise folks pulled away and
let the Williams outfit and a few from Waterbury
have it to themselves.

When the race started Rowe rushed Princess
Cecilian off in front and won a heat from Sister Hal
by a narrow margin in 2:1414,. This jarred the Wil-
liams family. For the next twenty minufes they were
busy looking for help They got it. During the balance
of the race the other starters were constantly inter-
fering with the Princess while Sister Hal had a clear
path and won in 2:1514.

Between heats Sister Hal was tucked away in a
stall with the door fastened on the inside. No one
ever saw her stripped except when she was on the
race track. When the last heat was finished, instead
of cooling her out, she was transferred from the
sulky to a cart and started over the road towards
Hartford. The next morning it leaked out that after
Sister Hal was distanced the first week of the meet-
ing, she was driven to Williams Bros, stable in Hart-
ford in the night and not returned. In the interval
Edna L. was brought over from Waterbury in a
truck, dyed black and the night before the race driven
over the road to Windsor. She was slipped into the
stall which had been occupied by Sister Hal.

This was Edna L.'s last race. Squires was expelled
for the part that he took in it. Later on Delay re-
funded every dollar that the mare won under her

RACEALONG 305

different names and colors. It was redistributed to
the owners of the horses which she defeated.

After being raced as a bay, black, brown and a
chestnut, Edna L. was sold in the spring of 1921 and
exported to England. Her owner, also had ample time
to decide that he wasted what would have proved a
Grand Circuit performer, to get what he thought
would be a little easy money on the half-mile tracks.

Perhaps

The outlaw careers of Jack London, Edna L. and
many others prove that a horse which was fast
enough to ring had enough speed to win in his class.
Some are even better, as was shown by Perhaps. He
was owned in Michigan and acted as if he were
marked for life when he paced in 2:13%.

His owner became disgusted with his showing in
a race and sold him at auction in front of the judges'
stand. A man named Brown, who had been in trouble
the preceding year on a Vermont race track, pur-
chased him for a trifle. He substituted Perhaps for
one called Walter K., which had a few southern en-
gagements but was unable to start on account of
lameness.

Brown wintered Perhaps in New Orleans. The
following spring he hit the trail for California. His
first start was at Santa Rosa, where on July 4 he
won in 2:12 and repeated three days later in 2:08.

With the assistance of N. T. Smith, who was at
that time Treasurer of the Southern Pacific Rail-
road, it only took a few days to round up the eastern

306 RACEALONG

party. The horse was shipped east and sold for
freight charges at Kansas City. Later on he was sent
to New York, where he was driven on the speedway
to pole with Tar Tartar, another outlaw.

Tar Tartar

At one time Tar Tartar, alias Little Joker, was
used as a medium to win a few dollars by Pliny Grov-
er of Moravia, N. Y. Pliny met the man who controlled
him at Bradford, Pa., during a meeting at which P.
Mulqueen started Norval M. While Tar Tartar and
Norval M. were on the track, Grover noticed that it
was almost impossible to tell which was which. They
had the same white markings while both of them
looked alike and had the same way of going.

The next week at Hornell, N. Y., Norval M. was
injured while being led from a car. He was shipped
home. Before leaving, Mulqueen told Grover that his
horse was entered and paid up through a New Eng-
land Circuit and he would be compelled to loose his
entrance fees, as it was then too late to declare out.

As soon as Grover was satisfied that Mulqueen's
horse was turned out, he looked up the Tar Tartar
people and made arrangements to get their pacer to
fill Norval M.'s engagements. He slipped a cog, how-
ever, by changing his own name to F. H. Howe, as
it was not many days before he met Henry Pope,
who knew him'. Right away Pope suspected that the
horse was not as represented when his owner was
sailing under an alias. A telegram from P. Mul-
queen anchored Grover as it was an easy matter for
him to show the genuine Norval M.

RACEALONG 307

Thorp

When the Alcander horses were dominating the
New England and New York state tracks, Homer
Brewster purchased a gelding named Thorp from
H. C. Thorp of Charlotte, Vt. He could! pace a two-
minute gait straight-away but he could not race
around the turns of a track without pounding his
knees. This made him worthless as a racing tool.
Brewster decided that he could make him go clear.
He bought him and Thorp's breeder was delighted
to pass him along.

The following spring H. C. Thorp received many
favorable reports from the Brewster training camp.
The Alcander gelding stood the preparation and was
soon in trim to go to the races. All he wore for pro-
tection was a light pair of felt boots. Brewster's skill
as a trainer was above par at Charlotte.

When the racing season opened Brewster won
regularly with Thorp. Many hinted that the gelding
was other than as represented. Finally during the
meeting at Malone, N. Y., Brewster sent for H. C.
Thorp. He arrived while the horse was being raced
and told racing officials that he bred and sold Thorp
to Homer Brewster and that there was noi question
in regard to the identity of the horse and that he
was sired by Alcander.

This statement cleared the air until one winter
evening when Brewster's wife was entertaining a
few friends in a Burlington hotel. The partitions
were rather thin and a man in an adjoining room
heard her tell how clever her husband was in racing

308 RACEALONG

affairs. A few days later a man called on me in
Hartford. He asked what information was required
to trace a horse which was raced under two names.
I told him. He handed me a card on which the names
''Harry S" and "Thorp" appeared, and with a bow
departed.

Within an hour a telegram was dispatched to U.
C. Blake of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, requesting him to
send me from Marion, Iowa, a man who could
identify Harry S., 2:11%. Two days later the man
arrived in Hartford. I went with him to White River
Junction, Vt., where Thorp was then owned. As soon
as he saw him, he said he was Harry S.

Later it was learned that I. A. Chase of Brandon,
Vt., told Homer Brewster that while he was buying
cattle in Iowa he saw a fast pacer which was a
duplicate of Thorp. The horse was Harry S. Later
on when Ed Allen came east to work for James
Butler at East View, N. Y., he brought Harry S.
with him. Brewster heard of it. He bought the horse.
So that no one would be aware of the transfer,
Brewster attended to the matter personally, even to
the extent of going for the horse and riding with
him in the car.

Harry S. was unloaded one station short of his
destination. Brewster located him with a farmer
and went home on the evening train. The next morn-
ing he hitched Thorp to a sleigh and went for a
ride. That evening Harry S. was in Thorp's stall,
while; the latter was shot and buried in the woods.

Brewster's wife. Chase, and a lawyer in Burling-

R A C E A L 0 N G 309

ton, Vt., who loaned him a portion of the money to
purchase the two horses, were the only people who
were aware of the substitution, except himself. His
wife let the cat out of the bag. Her husband, like
all who seek money by the easy route, died broke.

Joe Bailey

The primrose path looks attractive but very few of
those who pluck flowers on it bring home the coin.
Hal Oatman fluttered towards it in 1912. That season
he shipped from Oklahoma to Ottawa, 111., intending
to race Joe Bailey, 2:lll^, in the Valley Circuit. A
spell of wet weather left him short of funds. One
afternoon while in a billiard room, a tempter sug-
gested a trip to Maryland to make a dollar. Oatman
swallowed the bait. In a few days he was whirling
around the half-mile track at Salisbury, Md., behind
a horse called Franklin E. His name appeared on
the hotel register as Frank Foster.

Franklin E. won the 2:25 pace at the meeting in
2:161/4. The purse netted the outfit $110, while they
managed to get $40 from a bookmaker on a heat
bet. This did not cover the expenses of the party.

The following week plans were laid for a sweep
on one of the Baltimore half-mile tracks. When the
race was over, Franklin E. stood fourth in the
summary. Oatman's backer was disgusted when the
horse was beaten in 2:21l^. He went home. Oatman
sold the horse and his equipment to get out of
town.

Later Oatman and the horse were identified and

310 RACEALONG

expelled. The clue came through a business card
which his backer handed a chance acquaintance
while at Salisbury. After the penalty had been in
force for several years, the governing board decided
to give Oatman another chance to make good. In the
interval he had located at Fond du Lac, Wis., and
soon appeared with the good horse Dan Hedgewood.

Kewanee Ruth

Early in 1918 Oatman met Thomas Graham of
Chicago in Fond du Lac. Graham was connected with
a film company and showed an interest in horses.
Oatman told him that if he purchased a couple of
horses for him, they could make a ton of money.
Graham fell in with it. Their first selection was made
at a Chicago sale, where Oatman bid off Lucille R.
for $160. She had no record but had shown a few
miles below 2:20 in races. The next move was to
purchase Kewanee Ruth, 2:06l^, for $2,500.

A few days later an application was made to insure
Lucille R. with a live stock company for $2,500. The
policy was accepted but when the company made a
move to place a portion of the policy with an organi-
zation of the same kind, an up to date agent, who was
in touch with the auction sale reports, turned it down
and reported what Lucille R. sold for. The policy
was cancelled and the premium returned.

Both mares were shipped to Logansport, Ind., and
placed in training. A few days after their arrival,
Oatman wrote his wife and a man named Rogers,
living in northern Wisconsin, that Kewanee Ruth had

RACEALONG 311

a bad tendon and that he would be compelled to
send her to Fond du Lac to recover. A little later he
shipped Lucille R. to Windsor, Conn. She was entered
in the slow classes in the Bay State Circuit.

A fast work out on the Connecticut track started
the rail birds talking. Oatman assured them that
Lucille R. was as represented and that they could
not expect him to come east with a pacer that would
not make good.

For five weeks Oatman followed the Bay State
Circuit. He won $65. During the Worcester meeting
the man and horse disappeared. Hints that the mare
was Kewanee Ruth helped to start him west.

In the latter part of August, Oatman appeared
at the Illinois State Fair at Springfield with Kewanee
Ruth. He said that she had recovered from her lame-
ness. She was started and could not win.

By this time Graham became impatient. His racing
venture had put a dent in his bank account. He and
Oatman parted. The latter had had a pleasant outing
for the summer but when he substituted Kewanee
Ruth for Lucille R., he made a slip by overlooking
the fact that the latter had two white hind ankles
while Kewanee Ruth had only a slight white mark
on one hind coronet. In due time the usual penalty
was passed along to Oatman and Graham.

Those who have brushed the dust of a thousand
race tracks off their clothes have learned in the hard
school of experience that in racing, like every other
iDusiness, honesty is the best policy. -Without it, a
man touches the zero mark in every walk of life.

312 RACEALONG

There are days when the ringer is a lure for those
who are seeking easy money. In the end it is the
most expensive that was ever collected. Like Dead
Sea fruit, it drops to ashes at tH^ touch after the
victim has run the gauntlet of the black mailer and
every other kind of parasite that lives by their
wits or what they know about a man who has not
been caught.

The hand of every man who stands for all that
is good in racing is at all times raised against the
sure thing player, who goes out in broad daylight
to rob those who enjoy contests between horses
which are classed. Frequently a hint from one of
them or the grooms who live in the stalls during the
racing season puts the brand on the raiders.

There has been cases where one will race for a
season or two before being detected. In time, how-
ever, some one calls the turn as truth will work its
way to the surface on a race track as it does in other
walks of life. When it does and the mark of fraud
is placed on the names of the guilty parties it re-
mains, like the old time brand on the convict, for
life.

RACEALONG 313

AUCTION SPEED

The returns at the auctions have considerable to
do with fixing the prices of race horses in the rough
or developed. They show what the public is willing
to pay for the lots offered and frequently start a
demand for the get of a stallion whose foals made
a favorable showing in their races. This has been
demonstrated repeatedly by the prices paid for the
get of Guy Axworthy. On the other hand, his stable
companion, Peter Volo, who was a splendid race
horse and a champion, did not fare so well until
Peter Maltby and Hollyrood Susan appeared in 1925.
Since that time the demand for his get has been
on the up grade.

Many of the leading turf performers have passed
under the auctioneer's hammer at New York, Chi-
cago and Lexington. Some of them were at the
crest of their careers when sold, while others were
disposed of as yearlings and had their future before
them. For years Walnut Hall farm has been selling
all of its colts at auction as yearlings. During that
time the buyers had ample opportunities to select
racing material. The Harvester was one of the few
that was kept until he was a three-year-old. He
won all of his stake engagements in 1908, and ulti-
mately reduced the stallion record to 2:01.

In 1912 the yearling crop contained Lee Axwor-
thy, l:58l^, the stout race horse Lu Princeton, 2:01,
and the double-gaited champion Prince Xoree. Other
offerings from Walnut Hall farm included Sanardo,

314 RACEALONG

1:59V2j The Real Lady, 2:03, Jeannette Rankin,
2:031/2, the leading money winner of her year; the
Futurity winner, Mary Putney, 2:04%, and Fire-
glow, 2:04.

The most attractive feature so far as the buyer
is concerned in selecting undeveloped racing material
at auction is that the cheap colts are as apt to win as
the high-priced ones. In 1924 Harry Brusie pur-
chased three yearlings by Peter Volo. He paid $300
for Tippie Volo, $250 for Purple Volo, and $430 for
Neil Volo. Purple Volo won in 2:20l^ as a two-year-
old and was sold for export. Tippie Volo won all of
her engagements as a three-year-old. She was also
sold for export. Neil Volo made a record of 2:08i/^.
They made a splendid return on an investment of
$980.

The greatest prize package ever picked out of
the auction ring was selected at Lexington in 1924
when Townsend Ackerman purchased the yearling
colt, Guy McKinney, for H. B. Rea of Pittsburgh,
Pa., for $925. This colt did not do very well as a
two-year-old. As a three-year-old Guy McKinney
won all of his engagements, including the first
Hambletonian stake. His earnings that year were
over $70,000. In 1927 Guy McKinney as a four-
year-old made a new world's record of 1:58%

In 1923 Dewey McKinney, a half-brother to Guy
McKinney, was sold as a yearling at Lexington for
$165. In his two-year-old form he made a record of
2 :0934. In 1927 he changed owners for $15,001. In
1929 he reduced his record to 2:01% and placed the

RACEALONG 315

half-mile track record for trotters at 2:041/4.

Of the yearlings sold in 1926 Shirley Harvester
was the cheapest that showed in front as a two-year-
old in 1927. She was knocked down for $100. Her
race card shows that she won thirteen out of four-
teen races and made a record of 2:09%. Plucky was
purchased for $400 as a yearling. At this same age
Azure Volo, another winner, sold for $825, and
Georgia Volo for $225.

Fine Girl, a winner on the mile tracks and one of
the fastest two-year-old fillies raced in 1927, was
purchased for $900. She came out of the Walnut
Hall consignment which also contained the cham-
pion Fireglow, 2:04. He brought $6,500 and was
subsequently sold for $10,000. Of the other year-
lings which were disposed of at that time Pal O'Mine
brought $2,900, Florence McGill $2,200, Lexington
Maid $2,500.

The prices paid for the yearlings in 1925 varied
as much as they did the following year. The pacer,
Ace High, which won all of his engagements in his
three-year-old form, sold for $425, while $825 was
the last bid on the Chestnut Peter colt Radium
which was lapped on Doane when he won the three-
year-old trot in 2:07% at Endicott.

At the same sale Cub Ortolan, then a two-year-
old, sold for $400 and Bert Abbe for $1,200. Signal
Flash, at that time a yearling, brought $300. The
next fall he was back again after his two-year-old
campaign and sold for $7,100. A number of splendid
yearlings were disposed of at the New York sale in

316 RACEALONG

1924. At that vendue Bugle Call sold for $2,300,
High Noon for $3,500, Bright Dawn for $1,000 and
Full Worthy for $4,100.

LOST RACE TRACK

In the racing world it is not unusual for a man or
horse to disappear without notice but so far as the
record shows E. King Dodds is the only man who
ever told of a race track that faded from the picture.
In 1908 when recalling a few of the Canadian events
which came under his observation he referred to an
odd incident in the career of a Toronto hotel keeper
named Riley.

In the early seventies of the last century Riley
was the proprietor of a hotel in Toronto at the
foot of York Street.

Then as now, a little horse racing was relished by
both old and young. In those days the swell track
was known as Boulton's. It was located in the
neighborhood of Beverly Street, later a thorough-
fare fringed with stately mansions. In the winter
time trotting on the ice was a favorite amusement,
and scores of matches would be made and settled
while the snow was flying.

One winter Riley made up his mind to distinguish
himself. He waited for the ice to form on Toronto
Bay, and as soon as nine inches was reported he
commenced preparing to construct a mile track. An
engineer was engaged to do the work.

Every owner of a horse in the city was congratu-

RACEALONG 317

lating himself on having a high old time as soon
as the track was ready and Riley saw looming in
the distance a big reputation for enterprise, with a
fine run of customers at his hotel. A big gang of
men were put to work and at the end of two weeks,
on a Wednesday at noon, the track was completed
and announced perfect. It was bushed every fifty
yards, and altogether pronounced the greatest thing
ever attempted in that line. At two o'clock a great
crowd of people were on the bay taking a look at
things and speculating on the grand prospects of
sport ahead. In Riley's hotel on the shore the boys
were congregated getting up a programme for the
races.

About this time a strong easterly wind blew up.
The sky became overcast and the people at the track
made for shore. The storm came on so quickly that
in two hours Toronto Bay was clear of ice. Riley's
track, with its bushes acting as sails, swept almost
intact out into the open lake, and much fun was
made over the mishap. Some sent messages from
Hamilton and Oakville that Riley's track went sail-
ing by their respective places at the rate of ten
miles an hour. The strong breeze did more than
blow away the track, it blew out of Riley's mind
all desire for speculation in that line. In his long
career as a hotel-keeper he had met with many slip-
pery customers, but nothing in his experience came
up to his race track venture.

318 RACEALONG

CHANCE

Pranks played by chance make the lives of many
horses look like a chapter of accidents. In 1856 the
dam of Blackwood was purchased at Lexington,
Ky., by Adam Steel for $125. In 1860 he gave G. H.
Buford a half-interest in the colt that came with
her, to develop it. Buford trained Blackwood four
months and reduced the three-year-old record to
2:31. Steel then repurchased his interest for
$12,500 and sold the colt to Harrison Durkee, of
New York, for $30,000.

The blind pacer Sleepy Tom, that cut the world's
record to 2:121/4 in 1879, became the property of
Steve Phillips in exchange for a colt worth about
$75, an old watch, a quart of whiskey, and $7.50 in
money. Little Brown Jug, 2:11%, the next pacing
champion, was purchased as a yearling by O. N.
Fry for $50. He sold him as a two-year-old for $75
and took him back on a debt of $60.

Moko was offered for sale at Lexington, and as
no one made a bid on him he was taken back to
Walnut Hall Farm, where he became one of the
leading sires. Walnut Hall, his assocaite in the stud,
did not get a much better reception. When John
Splan purchased his dam, Maggie Yeazer, she was in
foal to the gray horse, Conductor. That did not
look very good to L. V. Harkness, but when the
colt was foaled his color, form, and early speed
earned him the name of the farm, where he was
destined to remain for life.

RACEALONG 319

Bingen, 2:061/4, the sire of Uhlan, 1:58, would in
all probability have been added to the list of geld-
ing, if George W. Leavitt had not heard of him
trotting a quarter in thirty-five seconds as a year-
ling. No one in Kentucky would buy a stallion by
May King, 2 :20. Leavitt gave $800 for Bingen. He
shipped him to New England and sold him the fol-
lowing year for $8,000. Later he brought $30,000.

The breeder of Pilot Medium sold him for a trifle
to get him out of his sight on account of an injury.
Walter Clark took him to Michigan, where he got
Peter the Great, 2:07l^. George H. Ketchem
ordered his foreman to kill Cresceus when he saw
him suffering from distemper. The foreman put the
colt out of sight until he recovered. In time Cresceus
reduced the world's record to 2:021/4, and proved to
be one of the best race horses that ever wore har-
ness.

John H. Shults paid thousands for stallions, one
item being $28,000 for Pancoast. Axworthy, the
best sire he ever owned cost him $500. Hamburg
Belle, his fastest trotter, owed her existence to E.
T. Bedford seeing Axworthy brush on the Parkville
Farm track. He bred Sally Simmons to him and got
Sally Simmons IL She was fast but a knee knocker.
John E. Madden purchased her and shod her so she
went clear. He changed her name to Hamburg Belle,
won a number of races with her, and sold her for
$50,000 after she defeated Uhlan in 2:J01l^.

In 1891, while at the Vina Ranch of Governor
Leland Stanford, in California, Orrin A. Hickok took

320 EACEALONG

a fancy to one of the leaders of a four-horse team.
The horse was turned over to him to train. He did
not do very well for Hickok, but in the hands of
Monroe Salisbury and Andy McDowell, he trotted
in 2:04%, and defeated Hulda, the fastest trotter
Hickok ever raced. The horse was Azote.

The plough horse. Captain Lewis, 2:21, was the
greatest find on the trotting turf. Every one who
had him made money. In March, 1882, Colonel Par-
sons of Rochester, N. Y. turned him down at $175.
In April, A. H. Tower, of Lyons, N. Y. gave $300
for the gelding and sold him in June to Colonel
Parsons and Burt Sheldon for $5,250. He started in
ten races that year and won all of them, or in
other words made a sweep just as R. T. C, 2:06%,
the next plough horse, did in 1911.

MISS WOERNER

In 1929 when Walter Cox began winning races
with the fidgety three-year-old filly Miss Woerner by
The Laurel Hall, a glance over the breeding of her
dam that appeared on the score cards recalled a few
horses that had been before the public for a number
of years. Her name was Mary Coburn. She was one
of the last trotters that W. J. Andrews drove in
1919 after being on the retired list for four years
on account of a sunstroke at Syracuse the day he
won with Lee Axworthy.

Mary Coburn was retired from the turf with a
record of 2:07l^. She was got by Manrico, a horse

R A C E A L 0 N G 321

with which Will Durfee won the Kentucky Futurity
in 1912 arid sold the following day to L. V. Hark-
ness to place in the stud at Walnut Hill Farm. Mary
Coburn was foaled in 1914, her dam being Alma
Sedley 2:29% by The Director General.

The next link in Miss Woerner's pedigree intro-
duces Miss Rita. She was one of the pacing team
which Orrin Hickok drover to pole in 2:09Vi at
Lexington in 1916. Her mate was Josie B.

This pair of pacers were owned by the Patchen
Wilkes Stock Farm. At that time Mrs. Philip Lydig
was Mrs. W. E. D. Stokes and the wife of the owner
of that establishment. Miss Rita was named for her
and when in Kentucky she frequently drove the
team on the farm track to a pole cart.

SULKY DUSTERS

May and December was seen regularly in the sulky
in 1919 at all of the Grand Circuit meetings, many
of the best contests in the two-year-old events being
between the youthful reinsman Lyman Brusie with
the Brook Farm gelding Mr. Dudley and the veteran
'Top" Geers behind Dudette, whose sire Etawah and
dam Dudie Archdale were in their day the brightest
stars in his racing stable. While at the first five meet-
ings, Henry Thomas defeated both of them with
Natalie the Great, they finally came through in front
on the eastern loop, Mr. Dudley winning at Philadel-
phit and Dudette at Hartford after sKe defeated The
Great Miss Morris at Boston.

322 RACEALONG

In these races the skill of the older reinsman was
frequently offset by the dash and zip of the little
Yankee. Fearless and with a Hght hand, Brusie sent
his mounts away from the wire on high gear and
kept them going until they won or run down. At the
July meeting at Cleveland, Lyman made the country
sit up when he won the half-mile dash for two-year-
olds with Mr. Dudley in 1:02%. This was flying
and the clip was continued at Kalamazoo the follow-
ing week when Echo Direct won in 2:07l^, equalling
the four-year-old record for geldings made by Uhlan
in 1908.

At Syracuse Echo Direct gave this mark another
rapf when he won a third heat in 2:051/4 to a sulky
with a wrecked wheel. A little thing like that, how-
ever, did not disturb Lyman Brusie. The first time I
saw him in aj race he was driving the pacer Rhoda
Ashbourne over the half-mile track at Windsor,
Conn. Some one bumped into him and crushed a
wheel. In order to keep going he climbed out on the
opposite shaft and almost won the heat.

This young man has but five letters in his alphabet.
They are h. o. r. s. e. On account of this, he has a
limited vocabulary and is minus the ''gift of gab"
which made his father conspicuous on the New Eng-
land race tracks. He will never miss it, however, as
a driver frequently says more in a minute than he
can take back in a week.

Geers at that time was in his sixty-ninth year.
His" first victory in the east was won over Fleetwood
Park, New York, in 1877. At this track in 1892 when

R A C E A L 0 N G 323

in the employ of C. J. Hamlin, Geers also secured
one of the best horses he ever drew a rein over. In a
three horse race Geers won two heats with Glenden-
nis before Champ Brown showed in front with a little
knee sprung gelding. Brown also won the fourth heat
after which Glendennis died of the thumps. While
Geers was looking at him, C. J. Hamlin made a re-
mark about the race and Geers suggested that he
buy the little gelding while he buried his pacer.
Hamlin followed his advice. The horse was Robert
J. He reduced the world's record to 2:01%.

In his day Geers raced more phenomenal horses
than any man who ever sat in a sulky with the ex-
ception of Charles Marvin, who at one time held all
of the world's records for trotters. This remarkable
reinsman's group ran in the pacing w^orld from Brown
Hal, Hal Pointer, and Star Pointer to Direct Hal, Heir
at Law, Robert J., Napoleon Direct, and Goldie Todd,
while his trotters included St. Frisco, The Harvester,
Dudie Archdale, Anvil, The Abbott, Lord Derby,
Nightingale, Etawah and Molly Knight.

When Geers was racing Star Pointer, everyone
expected to see him start the two-minute list. C.
J. Hamlin, however, refused to buy him in the spring
of 1895. The horse was purchased by Boston parties.
They turned him over to Dave McClary, who drove
him in 1:591/4 at Readville on August 28, 1897, after
he became the property of James Murphy. Other
drivers dropped horses into the two-minute list but
Geers always fell shy of the mark until Napoleon
Direct won at Columbus, August 16, 1916, in 1:59%.

324 RACEALONG

In 1918 he also rode two miles below even time at
Toledo when he defeated Miss Harris M. with Single
G.in the fastest three-heat race on record.

Geers never made pets of his horses. His business
was to train and race them. After familiarizing him-
self with all of their peculiarities, he moulded them
to obey orders and race from behind. If a pupil
showed a rebellious spirit, it was not long before he
learned who was in command. Hal Pointer, of which
he was prouder than any horse he ever raced, tried
to make a rough house at Cleveland one day, but
after Geers whisked him with the whip a few times,
the gallant gelding was willing to admit that the
man in the sulky had the best of it.

Andrews' career on the mile tracks dated from
1890 when he won the Charter Oak Purse with Prince
Regent. He was by Mambrino King out of Estabella
and possessed every quality that goes with a race
horse. He had speed, class, racing manners, and en-
durance. His early death, as well as that of his
brother Heir at Law, robbed the Mambrino family
of two sires which judging by their few foals would
have made it a formidable rival of the Hamble-
tonians.

My old friend Rensselaer Weston was very fond
of Andrews and had a high opinion of his abil-
ity as a trainer and reinsman. One day when referr-
ing to him Rensselaer said that Andrews never lost
a match race. I accepted this statement as correct
without looking it up, as Mr. Weston was always
very correct in matters of this kind. Later, how-

RACEALONG 325

ever, I found that he had overlooked the match in
which Directum defeated Mascot at Fleetwood Park,
New York, November 2, 1891, in 2:07%.

From the start all the horses that Andrews raced
brought home the coin. He made Mascot a champion
and defeated Hal Pointer with him at Buffalo.
He prompted William Simpson in 1895 to purchase
John R. Gentry for $7,600, when everybody supposed
that the beautiful son of Ashland Wilkes had seen
his best days. In 1896 Andrews reduced his record
to 2:001/4. The horse was then sent back to the auc-
tions and brought $19,900, a gain of $12,300 in one
year.

John E. Madden was the next owner that was bene-
fitted by Andrews' skill. His first pupil was Sally
Simmons II. He changed her name to Hamburg Belle
and turned her over to Andrews. A trip down the Hne
in 1908 resulted in a series of victories, one being in
the Charter Oak Purse. In 1909 Andrews won with
her from Uhlan in 2:01%, 2:013/4, the two fastest
contested heats up to that time.

Like Budd Doble, Andrews was always a quiet,
retiring man on the track and in his home life. He
was the opposite of red blooded Alonzo McDonald,
who was with him on the training staff of the Village
Farm. The latter has still the verve of a boy and a
laugh that can be heard at the half-mile pole. Back
of it, however, is the caution of the Scott blended
with the alertness of a northern New York Yankee
to take a chance on anything that looks -good to him.
It was this that prompted him to purchase with

326 RACEALONG

Howland Russell the filly Sadie Mac, which he named
after his daughter, and won the Futurities at Hart-
ford and Lexington, and lease Early Dreams, the
leading money winner in 1917.

The little man inside which twists so many of us
towards good or bad fortune gave McDonald a jab
and made him buy Miss Harris M. as a two-year-old.
She was then a trotter but the following year
upon his return from California, she was pacing.
General Todd trimmed her that season but after that
year it took a champion to catch her. McDonald sold
Miss Harris M. to S. A. Fletcher. Lon gave Miss
Harris M. a record of two minutes. She was then sent
to the auctions and in 1918 Murphy cut her record
to 1:5814.

Murphy and Cox were opposites. While with the
trotters. Murphy was a fashion plate. His bright
green tie and smart tweed suit made a stranger think
that he was a visitor helping John Benyon out when
the horses are being aired during the morning hours,
while during the races his red, white, and blue colors
with tiny American flags on the collar and front of
the cap looked as though the tailor touched them up
between heats.

On the other hand. Cox whirls out in the morning
wearing a shabby pair of trousers, an old coat, flannel
shirt, and a hat with a hundred holes in the crown.
A half smoked cigar at an angle of forty-five degrees
is usually seen in the corner of his mouth while on
a dusty day a little soap and water and an applica-
tion of the old razor, which he carries to cut the

RACEALONG 327

wire hairs on his chin, would improve the portion of
his anatomy that the camera men aim at when snap-
ping a winner.

Within this make up there is a man who has been
successful in the racing world. In Lu Princeton and
Mable Trask he had the two best trotters in their
day, while McGregor the Great and Mignola were
race horses of the highest calibre. They were in time
followed by Grayworthy, Hazleton, Walter Dear,
Volomite, Sir Guy Mac, Miss Woerner, Guy Day and
Fireglow rated the best of all until death closed his
career at Cleveland.

Cox is a New Hampshire product. He drove his
first race in knickerbockers at a church picnic. His
mount was the gelding May Morning. He was owned
by a Manchester man, who told Cox to collect the $15
winnings so that he would not be asked to donate
a portion of it to the church. Cox did so and held
out five for his services.

While preparing May Morning for this event, Cox
had a brush one afternoon with a local star. He had
his trotter hitched to a Concord wagon and his three
brothers were with him. As the town horse flashed
by, Walter pushed his brothers under the seat and
set May Morning going. Cox won after racing by his
home. His mother was on the porch and saw the con-
test, as well as the four boys in the wagon. Upon his
return the budding reinsman pulled his brothers, who
are now known to the world as Governor Channing
Cox of Massachusetts, Honorable Louis I. Cox, Judge
of the Supreme Court of the same state, and the

328 RACEALONG

Honorable Guy Cox, District Attorney, from under
the seat and put May Morning in the stable. His
mother then interviewed him in the woodshed and
added the usual remedy.

The opportunity to make a dollar prompted Cox
to go with the trotters. After scurrying around the
half-mile tracks, he appeared in New York in 1903
and won with Prince of Orange. Since that date his
colors have been seen behind many fast performers
as well as a few that were sold for the high dollar.
He prepared Peter Scott and sold him for $30,000,
while he also received large amounts for Lady
Wanetka, George Gano, Belvasia, Guy Richard and
Adam.

Cox is a good mixer. He is an inveterate joker,
being when he is in a rollicking mood a composite
of Peck's bad boy and Tom Sawyer with a vocabu-
lary of the Commodore Vanderbilt variety. To him
at such times the world looks good, if no one calls
his hand. In this Barton Pardee, who owned Mabel
Trask, and Lu Princeton, took a special delight.

There was an outbreak at Hartford in 1919 when
the Lu Princeton and Mabel Trask special was being
talked over. It was suggested that Murphy or Geers
be invited to drive the mare. Geers was preferred on
account of him having driven so many races against
her with St. Frisco. Cox stood and listened but the
manner in which he was grinding a cigar between
his teeth showed that an explosion was coming.
Finally he could not stand the pressure any longer
and turning to Mr. Pardee said: "She's your mare

RACEALONG 329

but none of those gents will drive her. Why she is
one of the family and if something happened so
that the man who was put up hit her with the whip,
I would have to kill him." When everybody burst
out laughing, Cox saw that one had been put over on
him so he walked off and ordered Lu Princeton, the
laziest horse in the world, hitched up for a jog so
that he could have a fight with him.

Such is the life and rivalry of the men who train
and race horses. But aside from that each of them
has a human side which man to man brings them out
in the open among the best hearted lot of people
in the world. I had an example at Lexington, Ky., in
1918, when one morning I received a dispatch that
my soldier boy who gave his life in the cause of free-
dom was dangerously ill in the hospital at Camp
Johnston near Jacksonville, Fla. When the drivers
heard of it before I could get a train for the south,
dear old *Top" Geers, came to me and with tears in
his eyes said: ''Remember me to Billy and tell him
I hope he will get well."

At the time Murphy's wife was critically ill at the
hotel. He shoved his own worries aside long enough
to ask if there was anything he could do, while Cox
sailed in like a diamond in the rough with the tender
of his roll and more if needed to get that boy well.
To only a few are accorded the privileges of seeing
this side of the racing world. Its followers are like
other folk. They are born, grow up and die, but they
are not forgotten.

330 RACEALONG

PALATIAL STABLES

About half a century ago when the rivalry between
New York horse owners for trotting teams and fast
road horses was at its crest W. H. Vanderbilt and
Frank Work built two of the most palatial stables
that were ever erected on this continent. The Vander-
bilt stable was located at the northeast corner of
Madison Avenue and Fifty-Second Street. It was a
two story brick and stone structure. On the first floor
there were stalls for about twenty horses with ample
room for all kinds of vehicles.

After the death of its builder this stable was used
for other purposes. It was finally torn down in 1930
and replaced by a modem structure.

The Work stable was on West Fifty-Sixth Street
adjoining Carnegie Hall. It was smaller than the
Vanderbilt building but a much more costly struc-
ture. The first floor was an open court with stalls for
ten or a dozen horses in the rear. The celebrated pair
Edward and Dick Swiveller occupied two of them
the first time that I visited it. Later on Frank Work
had Wanda, Bosque Bonita, Peter Sterling and Pilot
Boy. Of these Edward and Pilot Boy were pensioned,
their last days being checked off the calendar at
Carl Burr's farm near Comae on Long Island. On one
side of the stable there was a covered corridor in
which the horses could be walked or turned loose
on days they were not driven.

The upper floor of this stable had club rooms and
many a dinner Frank Work gave to his friends in

RACEALONG 331

them before old age and family jars made him sour
on the world. Finally he was left alone in a big house
with a bull terrier and the servants. David Bonner
was one of his few visitors.

One day when he was in a clever mood he pre-
sented Wanda to Mr. Bonner. He bred her to Ax-
worthy and in due time her fillies produced a number
of fast trotters.

After Frank Work died the stable was let for other
purposes. In 1930 it was used as a night club when
a fire attracted attention to it.

The only other stable that measured up to the
standard of the buildings which sheltered the
Vanderbilt and Work road horses was erected in
1888 by D. Edgar Grouse in Syracuse, N. Y. In 1887
he sent an architect to New York to examine the
stables in that city. Upon his return a stable was
planned that cost over half a million when it was
completed and equipped. The builder selected the
Romanesque style of architecture for the exterior.
The interior was finished in mahogany, white birch
and rosewood.

The carvings of the staircase, the walls and the
ceilings were elaborate. The stalls for the horses were
of as fine wood and as carefully cut. Later, when in
use, mattings and carpets covered the floors, in-
cluding the hitching rooms.

Ghandeliers hung from the ceilings. Stained glass
windows let light into the stable. Tapestries and
paintings covered the walls. It was the palace for the
horse.

332 RACEALONG

D. Edgar Grouse died in 1892. The property was
offered for sale the next year in the settlement of
his estate.

After his death the stable was open for the first
time for public inspection. Before that only a few
of Mr. Grouse's friends and some who had bribed his
employees had been inside the building.

For a week the curious were allowed to satisfy
their curiosity. Passes were issued by the executors
of the estate. Only those with cards were admitted,
and yet the attendants could barely handle the
crowds. Thousands visited the stable. The crush
finally became so great and the handling of the
crowds so difficult the doors were closed, and visitors
were barred.

People during the time they were permitted to
enter were carried up stairs on an elevator put in
to carry carriages. Horses, some of them worth
thousands of dollars, were in the fourteen stalls.
At one side of the stallrooms were two brass
trimmed, porcelain bowls for drinking troughs. Rub-
ber mats covered the floor.

Outside there was the exercising court. It was
covered with a skylight, and the floor with tanbark.
bark.

Off the hitching room was an office done in rose-
wood with mosaic panels, oil paintings and chande-
liers setting it off. Through blue velvet portieres
costing $3,000 could be seen the inlaid marble floor
of the vestibule. From the office their was a private
elevator to the upper floors.

RACEALONG 333

The top floor was filled with carriages and sleighs,
and each ready to be run onto the elevator and
taken to the lower floor for use. The kitchen was
on the top floor, over the dining room, a dumb waiter
between them.

A $750 velvet spread covered the table in the
dining room, where a dinner was never served. Over
it was a crystal chandelier. The walls and furniture
were of mahogany.

The down with which the dining room couch was
stuffed cost $17 a pound. In the china closet were
the finest dishes, each with the monogram on it,
*'D. E. C." made at the Haviland pottery in France.

The china closet and contents cost $5,000. The
closet was of satin wood with white mahogany trim-
mings, artistically carved.

There were $3,000 portiers at both ends of the
parlor, pictures of wild duck in flight on one set
and on the other domestic fowls. In this room were
costly bronze statues, and a $25,000 pair of vases.

The rug on the floor was the skin of a Bengal
tiger, and over this was a chandelier like that in
the dining room. The walls were of mahogany.

From the parlor were doors opening into the
barber shop and billiard room. In the barber shop,
on a pedestal in the bay window, was a statue of
Venus bathing in a shell-shaped fountain. At one end
of the room was a $2,000 mahogany cabinet, inlaid
with a fine tracery of brass work. Japanese antiques
and vases were other decorations.

An onyx wash bowl was near the barber chair.

334 RACEALONG

There was no duplicate of it in America.

In the bilhard room was a cue rack which cost
$7,500. It was of oak, and its value was in its carv-
ing and that it was made from one piece of wood.
In one corner was an ancient German sideboard,
made 400 years before in Nuremburgh. The rug in
this room was appraised at $3,000. There was also
a $2,700 pair of vases here.

The office, Mr. Grouse's favorite room, had walls
and ceilings, chairs and desk of solid rosewood. Over
the desk waa a mosaic panel containing 150,000
pieces of stone. It was four feet high and three feet
wide. It represented an Italian soldier starting for
war.

So it was all through the building the most beau-
tiful works of art, of furniture, of everything money
could buy and a person could wish for were housed
in the stable D. Edgar Grouse built for his horses.

Four years after the stable was built and before
it had been used by anyone but the owner, his help,
and horses, the millionaire died. In his will D. Edgar
Grouse left the old time reinsman Jack Feek a com-
fortable fortune. Upon receipt of it Jack retired from
the turf and began dabbling in Wall Street. It was
a new game for him and in a few years all the money
was gone. Jack sought relief from his troubles by
the suicide route.

In 1893 the year after Mr. Grouse's death the
stable, horses, carriages, and luxurious furnish-
ings were sold at auction. The building went to
Gharles M. Warner. Later it was the club house of

RACEALONG 335

the Syracuse Athletic Association. Later it was
known as the Craftsman's Building and finally passed
to a telephone company. The building was still stand-
ing in 1930 on South State Street.

MURPHY'S GALLERY

There is an old saying that if a man has a fad
you will find evidence of it in his home and thrice
fortunate is he whose hobby is in line with his pro-
fession. No better evidence of this fact can be found
than what Thomas Murphy gathered around him at
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. One night in the winter of 1918
when the wind was making the snow and ice rasp
against the glass enclosed porch, I made a round
of the gallery of champions which decorated the
walls of the living room. As I moved from one paint-
ing to another, Mui-phy's remarkable career in the
sulky passed by like pictures on a screen. In a corner
near the door to the hall Hetty G., rather thin and
angular but high headed as a hawk looking for some
one to have a scrap with, peered from her frame
at Susie N. She brought Murphy on the mile tracks
in 1904 and was followed in 1905 by the Moko filly.
The name of the latter also recalled how Edward
Thompson happened to purchase her.

One evening during the winter of 1905, he was
going from New York to Brooklyn on the ferry. As
the boat pounded its way through the ice in the
slip he got a glimpse of Tommy Murphy among the

336 RACEALONG

passengers. When he joined him he saw that there
was something wrong and in his blunt, good
natured way, the big oysterman asked for an ex-
planation. After considerable questioning he learned
that James Butler, the owner of Hetty G., was so
well pleased with the manner in which Murphy had
raced his pacer that he told him if he could find
a trotter he would buy it and place it in his stable.

Murphy was then returning from an interview
with Butler during which he had told him of a filly
that could in his opinion win nearly all of the
futurities. Mr. Butler, however, decided not to buy
her as he had just purchased The Phantom by Boreal
and shipped him to California to Monroe Salisbury
to prepare him for his engagements.

Before leaving Murphy told him that the Moko
filly could distance The Phantom and when he re-
peated it to Edward Thompson, the latter said: '*Do
you really think she can?", and when Murphy as-
sured him that he was positive of it, he drew a check
book from his pocket, wrote his name on the bottom
of a blank check and handed it to Murphy with the
remark, ''Well, Tommy, go and buy her for me.''
Murphy never got off the boat. He returned to New
York and he was not seen again on Long Island
until Edward Thompson owned Susie N.

The following summer the Moko filly made good.
In her first race at Buffalo and in the first heat she
ever won she distanced The Phantom. She also won
her engagement at Poughkeepsie while at Cincinnati
she landed the Review Purse and at Columbus the

RACEALONG 337

Stock Farm Purse, making her record of 2:09l^.
At Lexington, Susie N. finished second to Miss
Adbell in the Kentucky Futurity and won the Lex-
ington Stake in which she again distanced The
Phantom.

After this trip Murphy went on and completed
Edward Thompson's royal flush of winners. In 1906
he paraded Rudy Kipp and won nine out of ten
races with him, giving him a record of 2:041/4 in a
dash race at Columbus. For some reason a picture
of this Tennessee pacer does not appear in the
gallery but the balance of them are there. The others
in the group are Native Belle, which startled the
world when she cut the two-year-old record to 2 :07%
in a race in 1907, the ''old plough horse" R. T. C.
in his light chestnut almost a buckskin coat, and
Frank Bogash Jr., the first gelding to race across
the two-minute line.

Of the other paintings the latest arrival is the
roan colt Trampfast as he looked when he defeated
Dorothy Worthy, dam of Chestnut Peter, in the
two-year-old division of the Kentucky Futurity in
1907, Peter Volo, the champion two, three and four-
year-old whose record of 2:02 was made in a race,
the black coated Anna Bradford that came within
three-quarters of a second of entering the two-
minute list in her three-year-old form, and Lassie
McGregor, a winner of the M. & M. at Detroit and
which broke down while being warmed up for the
Charter Oak Purse at Hartford in 19-14.

The 1915 campaign brought two champions to

338 RACEALONG

the gallery. One was Peter Scott, the largest money
winning trotter up to that time. The other was
Directum I., the world's record pacer in the open.

At that time it looked as if there were no more
worlds left for Murphy to conquer. Still in 1916 he
brought out The Real Lady and reduced the two
and three-year-old records of Peter Volo. She has
a place of honor over the piano on which Murphy
was drumming out a snatch from an opera while
I was looking at the paintings.

These are, however, only a few of the performers
that decorate the walls of Murphy's home. At every
turn some celebrity which he has driven peeped out
from a frame, many of them being snapshots in
action. On the porch near a door George Gano,
winner of the Chamber of Commerce, is looking over
his driver's shoulder while Baroness Virginia, his
first Kentucky Futurity winner, was assigned a
place near Innerguard, Don Derby, Leland Onward,
Copa de Oro, the sire of Oro Fino, Pan Michael, one
of Dr. McCoy's products, the old standby Brace
Girdle, and Locanda slipping through at the pole
at Lexington when he defeated Nathan Straus in
2:02.

RACEALONG 339

JOBBERS

In the early days of light harness racing when the
number of high class performers were limited it was
an ordinary matter for the owners and drivers to
form a combination and back what they considered
the best horse to win. Sometimes these selections
landed the event while occasionally their choice
proved a flivver and they were compelled to hedge
in order to get their money off.

As the number of starters increased the interests
became so diversified that except on rare occasions
not even the cleverest could select a winner with any
degree of certainity unless the horse stood out
several seconds over his field in the matter of speed.
This brought about situations in which the play was
made on one that should have been second choice
and steps taken to stop the favorite. This change
introduced the jobber who would stoop to anything
to make a dollar if he thought there was a chance
to get away with it.

The Temple Bar race at Cleveland was a sample
of that kind while the $10,000 race at Boston in
which Nelson and Alcryon started was a sure thing
play for the loser. Temple Bar was owned by Dr.
Sayles of Morgantown, Ky. He was a dentist with
a hill town disposition and considered kilHng the
proper treatment for anyone who interfered with
him or his possessions. Aside from that he was a
poHte, considerate Kentucky gentleman that flashed
into the front row of publicity on account of the

340 RACEALONG

«

speed and splendid racing qualities of his horse.

The year that Temple Bar reached the crest of
his career Dr. Sayles and his sister started out early
in the season and made a trip through the middle
west before tapping the Grand Circuit. While in
Minnesota he had some differences with Tom Settle
who was driving his horse and took Temple Bar
away from him. •

Being short of a driver someone recommended a
young man named George W. Spear. He had been
driving horses for Governor Merriam of Minnesota
and a number of people in St. Paul and MinneapoHs.
It proved a good choice so far as skill in the sulky
was concerned but in the end it dropped the doctor
and his rugged horse into a pit of sack cloth and
ashes.

On the other hand the prominence which Spear
acquired while in the sulky behind Temple Bar
started him on the up grade. For a number of years
he ranked with the leaders as a skillful reinsman,
especially with horses which were irritable and diffi-
cult to control, but when the crash came he in turn
dropped into the pit so far as racing was concerned.
No trainer of note ever seemed to have a brighter
future or a stronger grip on men who were willing
to wager thousands on races and none ever passed
off the turf under a blacker cloud.

Temple Bar arrived at Detroit with a nomination
in a $10,000 event. It was the first big fixture of the
year and the rivalry to win it had always been very
keen from the day that "Tink" Hills landed the first

RACEALONG 341

one with Hendryx. No one paid much attention to
the stoutly made black horse on account of the poise
of the Montana contingent. It had come with a
ton of money to place on Prodigal and they were
anxious to let everybody know it. The big brother
to Patron did not require very much introduction
to the eastern race goers and where any was wanted
Andy McDowell did not hesitate to furnish it. The
morning of the race it looked to be all over but the
announcement, still the association did not feel dis-
posed to pay off until the regulation contest of three
or more heats was placed on record.

The first matter to be settled before the race
started was the selection of a driver for a big raw
boned bay gelding named Prince M. which a railroad
conductor shipped in from Indiana. He wanted Budd
Doble to take the mount but that reinsman wanted
more money or a greater percentage of the winnings
than he was willing to pay. This spht made a
difference in the result although no one gave it
a moment's thought at the time.

When the race was called the railroad conductor
stopped the negotiations and took the mount him-
self. He also led the field of eleven horses to the
wire in the first heat. The judges promptly set
him back to third place for swerving in the stretch,
something that would not have happened with an
experienced man in the sulky.

The heat was awarded to Prodigal but there was
no demonstration in the Montana xiamp. An un-
known gelding from the tall timber had tamed their

342 RACEALONG

favorite and anyone with half an eye could see that
several of the other starters were not tearing their
harness off to get in the front row that trip.

In the second heat Spear as soon as he could get
through the field laid his horse alongside of Prodigal
and raced him into the ground. From that time it
was plain sailing for the Egbert horse. He won as
he pleased. The next morning George W. Spear woke
up to find himself listed among the leading reins-
men and a bright future was mapped out for him
by those who backed the field against Prodigal.

The Cleveland meeting followed Detroit. When
the racing caravan arrived at the old Glenville track
they found that Temple Bar was to start against
Aline, Leicester, Junemont and five others.

It did not look Hke much of a field although
Leicester had never lost a race and Junemont was
always considered a stout battler when the heats
were split. Later it was learned that the race was
also the last one in which Spear would drive Temple
Bar on account of Monroe Salisbury having made
arrangements to add him to his stable at the close of
the Cleveland meeting.

The race was programmed for the second day of
the meeting. When the betting started on the event
it was apparent that someone had an unlimited order
in the pool box on Leicester. His tickets were knocked
down in a flash as each pool was started and while
a few of the regulars played some money on Temple
Bar the bulk of it was scattered all over the ring.

James Goldsmith, who had less than a month to

RACEALONG 343

live, drove Leicester. Elliott, a market gardener
from Philadelphia, was up behind his mare Aline.
Carey drove Junemont, who caused considerable
trouble for a couple of heats. Jackson I. Case had
Clara Wilkes and Geers the Mambrino King mare
Henrietta.

• Spear did not make a Inove for the first heat.
Goldsmith winning it easily from Kenwood with
Henrietta third. On the second trip Leicester and
Temple Bar were lapped at the three-quarter pole,
the balance of the field being strung out behind
them. As they passed the distance Spear stopped
driving and Goldsmith won by two lengths.

Colonel William Edwards, who was acting as
starter and presiding judge, did not like the drive
and spoke about it at the time. Prior to the third
heat he requested H. M. Hanna, who was one of the
judges, to keep his glass on Temple Bar for the
mile.

The two stallions trotted away from the wire like
a team. They were lapped to the head of the stretch
where Temple Bar made a break. Spear did not
make much of an effort to catch him and come on.
Leicester also faltered near the distance. When Gold-
smith picked him up to stall off Alfne he made a
break and the mare won.

Notwithstanding his tired break Leicester still
remained favorite. He sold at two to one over the
field prior to the fourth heat and the money con-
tinued to pour in on him as long as anyone would
take the field end.

344 RACEALONG

In the interval the judges had a conference. When
it was over a messenger was sent for Gus Wilson,
an old time driver who was training a stable at
Cleveland. When he came to the stand Colonel
Edwards requested him to take the mount behind
Temple Bar and not to say anything about it until
the horse appeared on the track.

Wilson went away to get his colors, gloves and
whip. When he returned he sat down under the
judges' stand near the scales, remaining there until
after the horses had scored once for the fourth heat
of the race. When they were recalled Colonel
Edwards stopped Temple Bar and requested his
driver to come to the stand. When he appeared he
was advised that Mr. Wilson would drive Temple
Bar during the balance of the race.

As soon as the horse stopped Dr. Sayles rushed
on to the track. When he heard the announcement
he began shouting at the judges telling them what
he would do if they took his horse or injured Temple
Bar. As soon as he was silenced Colonel Edwards
told him that Temple Bar would be driven to win
if he could and for the balance of his threats they
would be taken care of after the race.

From the time that the word was given in the
fourth heat Leicester was dead to the world while
the betting instantly flopped to two to one on Temple
Bar and even greater if anyone would take the short
end. Junemont was the contending horse in the
fourth and fifth heats, both of which were won by
Temple Bar.

RACEALONG 345

After this heat Wilson came to the judges' stand
and asked if he could remain there until the horses
came out for the fifth heat. He was given a chair
in the stand with the judges but even then he could
not get away from the wire pullers who were still
doing their utmost to have Leicester win. While
the judges were busy John Turner came up the stairs
and beckoned for Wilson to come over to where he
was standing. Wilson never let on that he saw him.
Finally Turner walked over and as he sat down
beside him said in his quick jerky way, "Will the
black horse win?''

"Yes," said Wilson, "unless he drops dead."

Turner left the stand. As he went down the stairs
Colonel Edwards turned to Wilson and said, "Gus,
what did he want?"

"Stop me if he could," said Wilson, ''but he never
had a chance."

Temple Bar won the fifth and deciding heat on a
jog. After the race was finished it was found that
he had thrown a front shoe in the heat, the clinches
on the nails having been filed off before he was
brought out, while the nut on one of the sulky
wheels was also set so tight that the wheel locked
and was dragged for a portion of the heat.

As soon as the winner of the race was announced
Colonel Edwards tapped the bell and said: "Ladies
and gentlemen, the manner in which Temple Bar
was driven by George W. Spear was an insult to
everyone who came to the track to sjee an honest
race. It is the order of the judges that Temple Bar,

346 RACEALONG

his owner and driver be expelled."

For a time Dr. Sayles was stunned by the an-
nouncement. As soon as he recovered he began vow-
ing vengeance against the Cleveland race track and
everybody connected with it. He plunged into the
courts with a $50,000 damage suit. At the time the
Cuyahoga County courts were three or four years
behind. When the case was finally reached it had
to be continued on account of a defect in the com-
plaint. Before it came up again Sayles died. The
horse also died expelled. Spear succeeded in getting
reinstated by turning state's evidence and pleading
that he was driving to orders. The name of the man
who made the plunge on Leicester was never
divulged. He paid for his tickets and took his loss
without a murmer. If James Goldsmith had lived a
few months longer another chapter would have been
added. He was one of the master minds in the
transaction.

George W. Spear had another day in court before
he faded from the turf. The stage was set for the
act in 1904 but the last scene was not completed
until the spring of 1907.

In the interval between the Temple Bar race and
his final appearance Spear trained a formidable
stable of race horses for N. W. Hubinger of New
Haven, Conn., and one for Elmer E. Smathers of
New York. Both of them were plungers in the largest
sense of the word so far as gambling on trotting
and pacing horses were concerned.

Spear landed many a long shot for both of them

RACEALONG 347

with doubtful or very uncertain horses. His most
unexpected coupe for Hubinger was scored at Detroit
when he won the $10,000 purse with Royal Baron.
The fast but high strung mare Grace Hastings was
for several seasons the star of the New Haven stable
and when she was on her good behavior nothing
short of a champion could show her the way to the
wire.

Hubinger and Spear parted in 1899. The following
year he got in touch with Elmer E. Smathers, who
after purchasing a horse through him to brush on
the Harlem Speedway in New York gradually built
up a racing stable which was one of the best on
the mile tracks.

As soon as Smathers struck his stride in light
harness racing he took up the amateur as well as
the professional end of it. Being an expert reins-
man with the proper temperament for driving races
he rapidly forged to the front and was soon challeng-
ing men who were for several seasons recognized
as the leaders in the fun racing brigade.

In 1902 the Memphis Trotting Association at
Memphis, Tenn., offered a $5,000 gold cup for a
free-for-all trot to wagon, amateurs to drive, Elmer
Smathers purchased Lord Derby and won the first
race for it from The Monk driven by C. K. G.
Billings. Under the conditions the cup had to be
won twice to become the property of a club. Lord
Derby represented the New York Driving Club and
gave it one leg.

In 1903 Lou Dillon was; sold at auction at Cleve-

348 RACEALONG

land. She had trotted a half within a fraction of a
minute and while she was known to be a bundle of
nerves several of the leaders wanted her. C. K. G.
Billings lasted the longest and bought her. The airy-
going daughter of Sidney Dillon began making new
wagon records as soon as the racing season opened.
Doc Tanner^ tried his hand on her for a few weeks
after the sale. He could not make any headway with
her and sent for Millard Sanders, her first and only
trainer, and requested him to take charge of her.

Sanders soon had her flying again and at Readville
in August drove her to a record of two minutes.
After the performance he started to prepare her for
the Gold Cup race at Memphis. Smathers soon saw
that Lord Derby could not catch the fleet-footed filly
from California. After looking the field over he pur-
chased Major Delmar with which Alta McDonald
had been winning regularly in fast time and had him
prepared for the event. It did not prove much of a
contest as Lou Dillon won each of the two heats by
half a dozen lengths in 2:04%. Sanders and Lou
Dillon also continued their record breaking by trot-
ting the Memphis track behind a pacemaker in
1:581/2.

After the race Alta McDonald was instructed to
take Major Delmar back to Albany, N. Y., and pre-
pare him for the third race in 1904. Everyone knew
that Lou Dillon was a trotting marvel and while
Major Delmar had shown two-minute speed he lacked
the flash which made the Sidney Dillon mare a
favorite.

R A C E A L 0 N G 349

The third and last race for the Memphis Gold Cup
was trotted on October 18, 1904. Major Delmar, the
entry of the Smathers stable, was carried along with
the other horses in the McDonald stable and raced
or started in specials when he could find a place for
him. He was a stout gelding with a bad temper but
he would race whenever he was turned loose in any
kind of company.

Lou Dillon was sent to Memphis to be prepared for
the contest. Tanner and Sanders trained her, giving
her at times faster work than any trotter had up to
that time shown in a race. At that time Tanner had
not as much experience with extremely fast horses
as came his way later while Millard Sanders was
known as a speed maker rather than a man who
could prepare a horse for an important race.

Twelve days prior to the race Lou Dillon was
worked below 2:02, a rate of speed that would have
won anywhere at that time. Three days before the
race she was worked two miles in 2 :06 to wagon out-
side of a runner driven by Tanner. McDonald at the
time had Major Delmar at Lexington. He worked
him as much as he deemed necessary, his aim being
to have the gelding ready for the race of his life at
Memphis.

The race proved a disappointment. In the first
heat Major Delmar and Lou Dillon raced to the half
in 1 :01%. At that point the mare faltered while the
Major rushed on to the three-quarters in 1:311/4.
From that point Smathers took him back and won
in 2:07 while Lou Dillon finished in 2:18. When Lou

350 RACE A LONG

Dillon was led out for the second heat she had the
thumps. A veterinary said she should be drawn. Mr.
Billings, like a true sportsman, decided to go over
the course so that Major Delmar would have a clear
title to the cup. The latter trotted the mile in 2:18i/^
and was declared the winner.

The race was soon forgotten like many other turf
disappointments. Smathers sold his trotters that
fall and his runners the following summer. When he
retired from the turf he did not require the services
of George W. Spear but paid him his salary to
October, 1905.

Three months later Spear went west. He stopped
at Chicago and called on Murray Howe. The latter
had been Secretary of the Memphis Trotting Asso-
ciation but was then in the employ of a gas company.
Spear and Howe went to the Chicago Club for
luncheon. After making their selections from the
bill of fare Spear told Howe a story about the gold
cup race of 1904 which resulted in a series of cases in
the turf and state courts.

As Spear ate the best that the Chicago Club's chef
had to offer he told Howe that in 1904 during the
race meeting at Lexington, Ky., Elmer E. Smathers
instructed him to confer with Ed Sanders and see if
something could be done to Lou Dillon to keep her
from winning the race at Memphis. Ed Sanders was
a brother of Millard Sanders, the trainer of the mare.
Ed told Spear that he would deliver the goods for
$10,000. Spear reported that his employer considered
the figure too high and that he would not give over

KACEALONG 351

$5,000. Finally after several interviews Spear said
that Smathers told him to drop it as Major Delmar
could defeat Lou Dillon.

Spear made affidavit to his statement and moved
on to California. Howe proceeded to start suit in the
name of the Memphis Trotting Association and re-
plevined the cup. Elmer E. Smathers was in Chicago
when the suit was started and on his return to New
York gave bond and took possession of the trophy.

Millard and Ed Sanders were in California when
the gold cup suit was started. Millard was located
at Pleasanton with a bunch of colts by Sidney Dillon
which he was training for Sterling R. Holt of In-
dianapolis. Ed helped him when he felt like working.

On the afternoon of April 17 the two brothers took
the train to San Francisco and met George W. Spear
at the Palace Hotel. Arrangements had been made
for Ed to prepare and sign an affidavit that would
confirm what Spear said at Chicago in regard to
stopping Lou Dillon in the gold cup race at Memphis.

After dinner Millard and Spear left Ed in his
room with plenty of writing material. They went to
a boxing match. Ed remained to prepare his state-
ment which was to be sworn to and delivered the
next day to Murray Howe, who was also in San Fran-
cisco to receive it. As Ed had not been doing much
writing for some time the preparation of the article
proved an up hill task. Several were written and de-
stroyed before he managed to produce one that was
satisfactory.

As his companions had not returned he rolled over

352 R A C E A L 0 N G

on the bed without removing his clothes to wait for
them. In a few minutes he was asleep.

The balance of his story was told me a few days
later in the front room of his home in St. Louis. I
called early in the morning and was told that Ed was
out getting his breakfast. He returned with a bottle
of whiskey and a dozen eggs in a paper bag. That
was his morning meal.

His hands and face were covered with scabs and
for over an hour he talked of the gold cup race and
the San Francisco earthquake, the only interruption
being when he broke an egg in a glass, poured in
some whiskey, and drank it.

*'When I rolled over on the bed in the Palace
Hotel," said Ed Sanders, 'T left the statement on
the table. I fell asleep and was dead to the world
until the bed seemed to be tossed half way across
the room while plaster was falling off the ceiling and
walls and the air so full of lime dust that I could
scarcely breathe or see. Jumping up I rushed to the
window to open it. As I approached it the glass was
shattered from the casing and came towards me. If
I had not unconsciously put up my hands to protect
my face the fragments would have in all probability
blinded me. Instead of that the splintering glass cut
my hands and a few hit my head, making wounds
wherever they touched. The fresh air rushing into
the room also gave me a chance to get my breath.

"As soon as I got the lime dust out of my eyes I
looked out of the window. Buildings were falling
down on the other side of the street. No one was in

R A C E A L 0 N G 353

sight but a grinding noise which came from some-
where was almost deafening.

*'By that time my face and hands were covered
with blood. Rushing to the bathroom for some water
I found that there was none. Then there was another
shake. Grabbing a towel I fled from the room. As I
ran down the corridor I saw that the walls were
cracked and that some of the pillars supporting it
had dropped into the court. Coming to a stairway I
dashed down, hanging on to the rail as almost all of
the steps were broken and a few had disappeared.

''My room was on the third floor. It did not take
me long to get down to the court into which stones
were falling and dash out of the carriage entrance
into the middle of Market Street.

"When I stopped I looked at my watch. It was
between five and six. Day was breaking but it was
not very light as there was a dusty haze hanging
over everything.

"I was dazed and started up Market Street. When
near the Chronicle Building I saw that the water was
still running in the Lotta Fountain. Going over to
it I took a drink and washed the blood off my hands
and face.

''As I was drying my face with the towel I carried
from the hotel a pohceman walked down the middle
of the street. He yelled at me to get off the sidewalk.
I ran towards him. When I stopped and turned I saw
the wall of the building fall where I had been stand-
ing.

'Close call/ said the officer as he looked at me.

<< </

354 RACEALONG

"^Rather,' said I. 'What is the matter?'

" *A shake !' said he.

" *How can I get away from it/ said I.

" 'Go down to the foot of Market Street and take
the ferry/ said the officer as he moved over toward
Kearney Street.

"As I walked down the street I stumbled over the
paving stones and the warped car tracks. Few peo-
ple were in sight until I was near the ferry house.
By that time men and women were pouring out of
the lodging houses near the water front.

"There were no boats running to Oakland but after
a couple of hours I found a man with a boat and
gave him ten dollars to take me across the bay. After
a long delay a train was made up for the east. I
climbed into a Pullman and cut loose for St. Louis.'*

When asked about the statement that he had pre-
pared he said that it was no doubt burned in the fire
which followed the earthquake. However, during
this visit Ed Sanders gave me a signed statement
that he did something to Lou Dillon that would stop
any horse. He did not say what it was but added
that when he got his price he would tell.

Millard Sanders was also in the Palace Hotel the
night of the earthquake. When I saw him during
the summer at Indianapolis he said that after get-
ting into the street he wandered about the city for
two or three days in a dazed condition before he
could get a boat to take him across the bay to
Oakland.

In connection with the gold cup race Millard also

R A C E A L 0 N G 355

said that his brother approached him five or six times
and George W. Spear twice. Both of them wanted him
to do something to stop Lou Dillon but he refused.
He also told Tanner and Ed Malloy, the mare's groom
that an attempt might be made to get at the mare
and extra precautions were taken to guard against it.

Malloy stated that Ed Sanders was never near the
mare on race day or the day before but that he saw
him about the stable. At the time there were always
one or two officers on guard as well as the stable
help.

Finally before the case was tried Ed Sanders made
a statement that he never did anything to Lou Dillon
that would interfere with her. The turf and civil
courts found that Elmer E. Smathers won the gold
cup and was entitled to the trophy. Both George W.
Spear and Ed Sanders were expelled from the turf,
their own statements being sufficient to bar them.

FOUR FORTY-NINERS

Everybody connected with light harness racing
has heard of Mike Dwyer. Before he located in New
York, Mike was on the pay roll at Palo Alto and
the Haggin Farms in Cal-ifornia and Kentucky.
Later on he hooked up with the Fasig sale firm
and finally settled in a stable for speedway horses.
When the automobiles crowded them off the roads
he changed the property into a storage warehouse.

One day during the summer of 1929 Gurney C.

356 RACEALONG

Gue of the Herald-Tribune dropped into his office
and secured the material for the following story
which presents the names of four men whose paths
of hfe were far apart although all of them were
connected with light harness racing.

"I see the people out at Stanford University have
been celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the
Governor's pioneer experiments in photographing
the horse in motion. I was out there training colts
when the campus of the university was the Palo
Alto Stock Farm, and the Governor used to sit
under a great Hve oak tree up the homestretch of
the track to see the horses work. I remember when
he was just starting to build the chapel of the
universitj^ how the ministers and delegations rep-
resenting all the different religious denominations
used to come there and pester him on behalf of their
particular church. They would often come just when
he was timing some of the promising colts whose
work he was anxious to follow closely. To prevent
them from annoying him at such times I put up
a sign at the entrance to the track, 'None but em-
ployees allowed on this track.' That pleased him."

''They are wasting their time in asking me to
make this a denominational institution," he said to
me. "It's going to be a free-for-all, with no favorites."

"While the Governor was dodging the ministers,"
Dwyer continued, "he had time to see a horseman like
Charley Cochran. Charley, you know, had rubbed
Goldsmith Maid while Budd Doble had her. Well,
he turned up at the Palo Alto one day when he was

RACEALONG 357

old and out of a job. I spoke to the Governor about
him. He said right away: 'Charley doesn't have to
look for work. Bring him here.' And when he came
the Governor repeated what he had said to me. 'Stay
right here, Charley,' he said. 'If you want something
to do just go over to Electioneer's stall and look after
the old horse.' Cochran looked after him as long as
the great sire lived. And after that he lived on the
farm, by order of the Governor, until he died.

"Charley was always worrying about being home-
less and penniless in old age. He wanted to play safe
until he was in his grave. In his last years he used to
tell with joy how Henry Walsh, who trained Flam-
beau and other runners at Palo Alto, had provided
in his will that Charley should be buried in the Walsh
lot in the local cemetery at Menlo Park. The old man
had a copy of the will, which he showed me the last
time I saw him, saying: 'I'm safe, now.' "

"Besides being a noted character on the trotting
turf old Charley had been a forty-niner, and that
probably helped to warm the Governor's heart toward
him. 'Yes,' Dwyer mused, 'Cochran, Jack Bachelor
and Bill Lovell first met in Cahfornia in 1849 and
prospected for gold together. Lovell came there from
Austraha and was known as Sydney Bill. Cochran
was, of course, a very different character from either
of the others. No more trustworthy groom than old
Charley ever rubbed a trotter.'

"Lovell afterward came to New York, owned
American Girl, the rival of Goldsmith Maid, ran a
poolroom and later kept a boarding stable in West

358 RACEALONG

Fifty-Eighth Street. Jack Bachelor turned up in the
border states soon after the Civil War in the com-
pany of Joe Udell. They were a picturesque pair.
Bachelor stood six feet two in his socks, if he had
any, and looked all of seven feet when you saw him
in that old linen duster he always wore on the race
tracks.

''Udell's make-up was that of the professional
gambler of that period — long black Prince Albert
coat, white tie and tall plug hat, like a country
preacher. He was accounted a master hand at dealing
faro and they opened their bank to accommodate the
boys every night after the races. Udell, in the late
'70s, owned and drove the great pacer, Sleepy Tom,
one of the Big Four that brought the sidewheelers
into popularity in the Grand Circuit fifty years ago."

PHILADELPHIA TRACKS

The second mile track in the United States for
trotters was built in Philadelphia in 1827. It was
known as Hunting Park. All of the old time horses
raced over it under the saddle and a few to harness
as at that time when a race was made to sulky the
management of the track required three days notice.

Hunting ParI^ passed out in 1855 when the Point
Breeze track was opened. It was built by General
George Cadwalader and associates for amateur races
and matches. The old time driver John Turner won a
race over it in 1857. Budd Doble also rode a winner
there the following year.

RACEALONG 359

Point Breeze became a public park during the Civil
War. A number of meetings were held there from
that time until the early eighties. The first race at
Point Breeze that attracted national attention was
trotted September 9, 1869, the starters being Gold-
smith Maid, Lady Thome and American Girl. Lady
Thorne won in 2:19%. It was reported that over
$20,000 was taken in at the gate.

Belmont Park was opened in 1876. It was located
at Narberth on the main line of the Pennsylvania
Railroad. This park had a large club membership and
hastened the decline of Point Breeze but the latter
did not pass out until the beginning of the World
War.

Goldsmith Maid equalled her record of 2:14 over
Belmont Park the year it was opened. In 1881 when
Mike Goodin was lessee of the park he booked Maud
S. to start to beat that record. At that time the peer-
less daughter of Harold was owned by W. H. Vander-
bilt of New York and managed by George N. Stone
of Cincinnati from whom he purchased her. Her
driver was W. W. Bair, who was formerly a resident
of Philadelphia. W. H. Vanderbilt and a party of
friends ran over from New York on a special train
to see the mare go and for a time it looked as if half
of the population of Philadelphia was just as anxious
to see Maud S. They were in such a hurry to get into
Belmont Park that part of the fences were torn down.
The receipts from the gate and club house that day
put Mike Goodin in the Bingham House where he re-
mained until the Adelphia was built.

360 RACEALONG

As for Maud S. she performed up to expectations.
She trotted three miles in 2:12, 2:13i4, and 2:121/2.

A number of Grand Circuit meetings were held
over Belmont Park while many noted performers
made their records there although on account of
the grades it was never considered a fast course. In
1903 Prince Alert paced it in 1 :59i/2-

The last Grand Circuit meeting at Belmont Park
was held in 1921. That week the winners included
Grayworthy, Jeannette Rankin, Jane the Great,
Jimmy McKerron, and Single G. The last named
won the free-for-all pace from Frisco June, Sanardo
and Directum J. in 2:003/4, 2:01, 2:01i4.

The preceding year Peter Manning lost the only
race of his career at Belmont Park. He won the first
heat from E. Colorado in 2:08. In the second he
made a misstep on the first turn, broke a check
and was distanced.

After the close of the last Grand Circuit meeting
there was considerable said about establishing a
fair at Belmont Park. It failed to materialize and
finally the property was sold for $300,000 for real
estate development, the fate that follows all race
tracks near large cities. In addition to the three-
mile tracks Philadelphia also had a number of half-
mile courses, the number including Ambler Park,
the Gentlemen's Driving Park where George Scatter-
good presided, and Suffolk Park which was for a
number of years the headquarters of Jack Phillips.

'«'.'
t.

R A C E A L 0 N Cx 361

BRUSIE'S FIRST TRIP

For over thirty years Harry Brusie has been a
conspicuous figure on the race tracks of New Eng-
land and New York state. At times he fluttered out
of this territory but he always came back to earn his
share of turf honors in all sorts of company and with
all kinds of horses.

A few years ago at one of the dinners of the Hart-
ford Road Drivers' Club, Harry took the floor and
told of his first trip to make a bid for the money
with a race horse. The date was 1897 when he was
located at Charter Oak Park with an outfit that he
could carry under his arm. While it is not possible
to put the zip that Harry gave to the story in print
it will make racey reading for those who did not
hear it.

''At that time," said Harry, "I had a one horse
stable. The owner of the horse was a tobacco farm-
er in South Windsor. How he ever got a race horse
was more than I could ever find out as he would not
spend a cent on him or even buy, a ticket to go to
the races.

'*At all events, I had the horse and made a con-
tract to train and race him. The name of the horse
was John Mitchell. Like many a good one he was
double gaited and raced at both of them. Under the
contract I was to train and feed the horse, supply all
of the paraphernalia, including sulky, -harness, boots
and blankets, pay all of the bills including shoeing.

362 RACEALONG

freight and entrance fees, and give the owner half
of the winnings.

"In May and June it was rather hard picking to
get by but I always tried( to give the horse plenty
to eat even if his bedding was not very fresh. By
July I decided that I had to go to the races and win
a few dollars.

"After talking it over with Ed Dunbar who was
my helper and silent partner an entry was made for
John Mitchell at the Parkway track in Brooklyn,
N. Y. There was no Bay State or Orange County
Circuit in those days and Ii had to get some money
to carry me along until the fairs started.

"A couple of days before it was time to ship I
almost went down on my knees to the owner of John
Mitchell begging for a little expense money. He
would not give me a cent, not even carfare. Finally
I managed to borrow ten dollars and that with
what I had made it' so that I could get to Parkway
if I did not have any bad luck.'*

The next morning as related by Ed St. John in
the Times, Harry arrived at the track early and told
Dunbar that they would ship that afternoon on the
New York boat.

Dunbar was satisfied, but he threw out a hint
that Mitchell would be lucky to finish inside the flag
at Brooklyn. This cheerless bit of criticism only
made Harry talk faster than ever. Finally he left
the park, after telling Dunbar to have the horse,
sulky, pail, blanket and sponge at the boat at 3 :30.

When Dunbar and the outfit hadn't made its

RACEALONG 363

appearance fifteen minutes before the boat's leaving
time, 4 o'clock, Harry became excited and paraded
up and down State Street. Finally he rushed onto
the boat and pleaded with the captain to hold the
steamer until his horse arrived. Then up State
Street he raced again and saw, just turning into the
street from Central Row, Dunbar, not the least bit
flurried, riding on the sulky and walking the horse.
Harry yelled at him to hurry up and began to abuse
him for his delay. Dunbar didn't care a damn, and
said so and then while the procession took on life
and hurried to the boat, a highly illuminated dia-
logue was carried on. This came abruptly to an end
when a policeman threatened the two with arrest if
they did not become quiet and go on about their
business — if they had any.

The captain was good and held his boat ten min-
utes for Harry's establishment.

About an hour after the steamer started, the
boat's chef began preparations for the evening meal.
Both Harry and Dunbar took notice of this fact. They
wanted something to eat. As far as sleeping was
concerned, they intended to take that in chairs.
Harry looked over his finances and then approached
one of the waiters for information as to the cost of
a meal. He was informed the price was fifty cents
a person. Harry bowed his head and retired to com-
municate the information to Dunbar, at the same
time informing him that he could not stand the price.
Dunbar did not reply, but it was quite evident that
the information did not dull his appetite.

364 RACi^ALONG

But Harry did not intend to have himself and
Dunbar go hungry. He proposed that they get off
the boat at Middletown and get a lunch at a beanery.
This/ was agreeable to Dunbar, in fact it had to be.
Harry asked some bystander how long the boat
stopped at Middletown, and the reply was: ''About
a half hour."

They were enjoying their coffee and beans when
a whistle was heard.

"What's that!" excitedly asked Harry.

''That's the boat leaving the dock," replied the
waiter.

"The hell it is!" sputtered Harry. "Why a man
down there told me we had a half hour's time."

"Oh," replied the waiter,,' "he was some one that
didn't know what he was talking about."

"How about a train to the next boat landing?"
asked Harry, forgetting all about the unfinished
meal.

"No train until tomorrow morning," grinned the
waiter, who evidently sensed the reason he had them
for customers.

"Well, we've got to catch that boat — where's there
a livery stable?" excitedly asked Harry, as he
grabbed Dunbar by the coat collar and yanked him
away from his food.

"Next door," answered the waiter, "but I'll take
forty cents, please."

Harry flipped him a half dollar. Excitable in his
coolest moment, he was now a bundle of energy —
and ordered a horse and carriage to take himself

RACEALONG 365

and Dunbar to the next steamer landing. The man
in charge of the stable eyed him suspiciously and
told him to talk slowly as he could not understand
him. Harry related his predicament. The stableman
was a bit doubtful but finally said he would send a
man to drive a team for five dollars.

''Our meals are coming high, but we've got to take
our medicine," said Harry to Dunbar, who answered
with a sickly smile.

'Tenny wise."

''Oh, shut up !" snapped Harry.

The stableman yelled an order to someone, and
then said, "It is not dead certain that you can catch
the boat at the next dock as it is five miles away.
And, besides, she does not land on this side. You'll
have to be ferried over."

This bit of information sent Harry into a frenzy,
and his utterances were old, but decidedly as expres-
sive as if they had been newly coined.

Finally the team was ready and away rode the
trio — Harry, Dunbar and the driver. That horse
was kept going — up hill and down dale. The boat
could be followed by her lights, as the road was near
the west bank of the river. It was getting dark, but
the driver seemed to be familiar with the locality
until they came to where two roads branched. Then
he stopped. Up to this time not a word had been
spoken.

"What's the matter?" asked Harry.

"I don't know which road to take,!' answered the
driver.

366 RACEALONG

''Holy Moses !"

''Say, Dunbar, jump out and hammer on the door
of that house and ask the way," and Harry pointed
to a house back from the road. "This is a hell of
a thing — 'don't know the road/ "

Out jumped Dunbar and approached the house, in
which not a light was to be seen — but a dog barked.
Back to the wagon Dunbar raced and actually fell
in, saying he wasn't going to take any chances with
a strange dog.

Harry simply couldn't speak, he only gulped and
was out of the vehicle and up to the door and bang-
ing away on it in a jiffy.

"Well — what's — wanted ?" drawled out the
squeaky voice of an old man from a window in the
second story.

"Which road goes to the steamboat dock?" asked
Harry.

"Take the road on the left," came the answer,
"but there ain't no boat docking there now, youVe
got to get ferried across the river," and the window
closed with a slam.

"Get to the devil out of here!" exclaimed Harry
as he landed back in his seat, and the livery rig was
again put into motion, and following the left hand
road. When the party got out of the fringe of woods
that lined the road, they saw the boat following the
channel that runs near to the west bank.

Harry began to yell at the boat, telling the pas-
sengers that had surged to the rail that he wanted
it to stop as he had a horse aboard; but the boat.

R A C E A L 0 N G 367

about that time, steered toward the opposite side
of the river. The wagon drew up to the dock, and
there as good fortune would have it was a boatman
who agreed to do his best to land Harry and Dunbar
on the steamer for a dollar. This he accomplished,
after a hard pull and another wait by the captain.

When the captain saw who had caused consterna-
tion among his passengers only a short time before
by yelling from the other side of the river he gravely
remarked: "Young man you held me up for ten
minutes at Hartford, and for Heaven's sake where
did you come from now?"

Harry answered that he had business in Middle-
town, but he did not get much out of it ; all of which
was certainly true.

The remainder of the trip to New York was with-
out incident as hunger and fatigue soon wrapped the
travelers in sleep — such as could be obtained in
steamer chairs.

When the outfit was unloaded at New York
neither Harry or Dunbar had any conception of the
distance they had to travel to get to the track at
Parkway. Dunbar was sent away with the horse,
sulky and traps. When Harry arrived at the track
there was no signs of Dunbar. Time seemed to fly
and with it flew Harry's nerves and he began a
parade. Finally the outfit arrived and it was nearly
one o'clock. Dunbar was all right, but John Mit-
chell had the thumps. Certainly an alarming condi-
tion for a horse that was to start in 'a race an hour
later.

388 RACEALONG

Harry worked over the horse, and got him
straightened out before his race was called. Then
came more trouble, Mitchell would not strike a pace.
He continued to score on a trot. The starter asked
Harry at what gait his horse was going* to race.

Before he could answer John Mitchell reared and
wrecked a wheel of the sulky. He appealed to the
other drivers for the loan of a sulky. None wanted
to risk one behind such a horse. But the track
superintendent came to the rescue by telhng Harry
there was an old sulky behind the barns that he
could hitch into. This substitute was sun baked and
creaked when Harry mounted — but he was des-
perate.

The first time down for the word after the change
found John Mitchell on a trot again and about six
lengths back of the field. The starting judge reached
for the bell rope to recall the field, when he noticed
Harry nod for the word. As "Go !" was given John
Mitchell shifted to a pace and at the three-quarter
pole had overhauled his field and won by a length.

As Dunbar rushed up to the horse when Harry
had dismounted the latter was pale with excitement
and Dunbar muttered, "He's some plug; he's good
for part of the money now ; and for God's sake don't
let him get behind the flag."

Harry's hands itched for a few dollars to put on
the field, as even with a heat to his credit John Mit-
chell was not noticed by the speculators.

Harry was not entirely friendless, but he did not
know it at the time, as a short, red-faced man

RACEALONG 369

beckoned him aside and asked: "Say, boy, got a bet
on your horse?"

"Do I look Hke I had?" answered Harry. 'I'll be
mighty lucky if I can stay inside the flag. Say,
stranger, I haven't money enough to buy a sand-
wich, but if we win there won't be anything too
good for this bunch," and Harry turned to Dunbar
for a reply.

That worthy looked up with a woebegone expres-
sion, and meekly replied: ''Well, some of us may be
boxed up before the good things come our way.
Honest, Harry, we've had such rotten luck I think
we'll be lucky to get home alive."

The short, red-faced man, smiled and remarked,
"Brace up boys, we'll all have a bite and a place to
rest after this race, and it won't matter whether
the flag beats us or not.

''Who be you, anyway?" asked Harry. "I hope
you ain't stringing us, 'cause we're bad enough off
as it is."

"Don't worry, young man," and the short, red-
faced man drew from his pocket a roll, pealed two
tens from it and handed them to Harry, remarking,
"There you are, son; now how good do you think
your horse is?"

For a moment Harry was silent. Then without a
word of reply he shpped over to the pool box. They
were selling his race, the tickets being worth $55
with John Mitchell selling in the field for $5.

He had no diflSiculty in securing pool's. Those who
knew him to be driving John Mitchell, smiled.

370 RACEALONG

The short, red-faced man's eyes twinkled and he
remarked to a friend who stood near him: "I like
that boy, and believe me he has sand. Why he told
me, not five minutes ago, that he didn't have money
enough to buy a sandwich, and I slipped him $20 —
and now, he's put the whole thing on his horse. I
think I'll take a swing at that field myself."

''Get me a few of those fields," said the short, red-
faced man to the poolseller, 'I'll take all of them."
Favorite buyers picked up the offer in a flash, and
wanted more.

Then some of the crowd in the betting ring wanted
to know why the short, red-faced man was backing
the field.

Someone replied, "Oh he'd take a chance at any-
thing; there's nothing strange in this way of his.
He'll lose and he won't know it."

"They're off!" came the shout. John Mitchell
never lifted his nose. He won by a length but as
Brusie pulled up one of the other horses struck
his sulky and wrecked it.

Excitement ran high — and Harry was a bunch of
nerves running around trying to secure another
sulky. No one would lend him one. This the short,
red-faced man quickly discovered,

"Keep quiet, boy," he remarked as Harry mopped
his sweat-covered face, "we'll get them yet" and he
disappeared.

"Gee ! but I wish I had that sulky," Harry almost
sobbed ; as a brand new one drawn by a boy passed
his stall.

RACEALONG 371

*Hey, boy!'* came a shout, "here's where that
sulky is going" — and the short, red-faced man
pointed to John Mitchell's stall.

''Say, mister," said Harry, as he stepped up to
the red-faced man, *1' ain't onto you at all. How is
it you take so much interest in me. I don't know
you, and you don't know me, and here I am hitched
into some one's new sulky, and can't pay for it if it
gets busted."

"Well, boy, you're up against it and it's my way
— I've been rolled about in my day, also. Now get
after them, and good luck to you. Don't let them
get the pole from you going away."

There was nothing to this heat, John Mitchell
went to the front and remained there to the finish.

The red-faced man sauntered over to the Brusie
stable after the race. Dunbar was happy. He asked
if he had met Harry.

''No," he replied, "and I want to see him before
he leaves."

"And he wants to see you, too," replied Dunbar.
Say, we're both millionaires on that twenty and
Harry wants to divy with you. Here he is, now."

"Well, Mister, here's your share, and I'm a thous-
and times" .

"That's all right, boy, keep it and buy that sand-
wich you told about some time ago, and add this for
a good dinner," and the short, red-faced man pushed
a roll of bills into Harry's hand. "That sulky is
yours also — we won it today."

"Well, I'll be"—

372 RACEALONG

''No you won't young man, and just call on Sandy
Connors any time you're in New York. Goodby,"
and the short, red-faced man slipped into a carriage
and was driven away.

''Say, Dunbar, did you ever hear of such luck,
where did it come from?"

"Well, I picked up a four-leaf clover just after
you busted the old sulky — and I've got it in my
pocket now, and you can bet I'm going to keep it."

"When the outfit returned to Charter Oak the
owner of John Mitchell was on hand with a smile for
his share of the winnings. He received his half of
the purse money — but that was the limit.

From that day Harry Brusie was on his way.

DERBY DAY

In 1780, Sir Charles Bunbury's chestnut colt
Diomed won the first Derby at Epsom. As it did
not prove a great attraction, it was found necessary
to fortify the program with a cock-fight.

Very soon, however, the sporting world began
to take an interest in this little Surrey town and
its equestrian exhibitions. And then began the rise
of Epsom and its races. Numberless people leave
London for Epsom Downs on Derby Day who have
only the slightest interest in racing. They go for
pleasure of the outing, and to see the gay attire
of the ladies in the grand stand and particularly
the Royalties who assemble.

RACEALONG 373

Racing in England from time almost immemorial
has been considered a Royal sport. It annually draws
thousands who never bet except perhaps on Derby
Day, to see the best horse win.

There is an anecdote told of the great philosopher
and scientist, Herbert Spencer, who was induced bj'
his friend Sir Francis Galton, to go to the Derby,
with an Oxford clerical don. Sir Francis, in his
''Memoirs," records: ''They were as incongruous a
pair as could easily be devised; but they enjoyed
each other's company." All went well, except that
Spencer could not be roused to enthusiasm by the
races. He said that the crowd of men on the grass
was disagreeable as flies upon a plate, and that the
whole event was just what he imagined the Derby
would be.

Edward Walford, in "Greater London," became
enthusiastic over the Derby Day in town and Epsom,
of course. He refers to Frith's most celebrated pic-
ture of the ruined young gambler, and also, on the
other side, to the enjoyment that Thackeray,
Dickens, and the Punch staff experienced on this
eventful day.

John Leech, in fact, had an admirable sketch in
*Tunch" of one of his inimitable drawings of the
Buttons of the day who, rejoicing in laziness and
lunch, unburdens his soul by saying "Don't I wish
it was Derby Day all the year round."

In an old number of Bell's Life in London there
is a very lively description of the race' in the earliest
days, in which it is stated that poets, painters,

374 RACEALONG

punsters, and punters, sang or recited or wrote of
the glories of the exodus and return of the exuberant
crowds.

The streets of London en route were generally
lined with joyous spectators to welcome home both
the winners and the losers, and frequently the lucky
ones would distribute largess to the sightseers in the
way of coppers and small silver, much to the delight
of the gamins and the small fry.

London itself was always alive with flocking
gaiety, the theaters were crowded and the various
places of entertainment were filled to their utmost
capacity. John Hollingshead said that London went
mad on Derby Day to hear the result and George
Augustus Sala, though no racer, was equally
emphatic as to the enthusiasm of the crowds.

In the days of Pierce Egan life in London was
rampant with excitement over the race, and, by the
way, it was about the time that Tom and Jerry
reigned in London, that sweepstakes came into
fashion.

The Prince of Wales, before he was George IV.,
was particularly fond of witnessing races of all kinds.
He generally had a smart company of great ladies
with him when he went to Epsom.

In later years, when her Majesty Queen Victoria
came to the throne, she, with Prince Albert, visited
Epsom, and in 1840 Macdonald, the jockey, who rode
the winner — Little Wonder — on this occasion was
presented with a gold-headed riding whip in honor
of the royal visit.

RACEALONG 375

Four years after this agreeable event a horse called
Running Rein was entered for the race by several
persons who seemed to be in conspiracy. He was a
four-year-old (all Derby horses should only be three
years) and consequently Colonel Peel, afterwards
General, brought in a protest, and his horse Orlando
received the prize.

Baron Alderson said, when giving judgment, if he
had had the swindlers before him in the Criminal
Court, he would have transported them for life. Run-
ning Rein belonged to a London Jew, and when he
heard some years afterwards that Baron Rothschild
had a chance of carrying off the Blue Ribbon of the
Turf with King Tom, he exclaimed, "Vhat! a Jew
vin the Derby ? They never let a Jew vin the Derby.
Vy I won it myself once and they would not part
with the stakes."

John Tombs, in his lively "Humours of Epsom
Races," speaks of the development of the town,
through the discovery of Epsom Wells, and relates
that a little over a century ago the journey from
London occupied from twelve to fourteen hours. Now,
it is a mere flight of a few minutes. "In the olden
times there were races on the Downs in the morning,
the gentry returned into the town to dinner, and then
went to the afternoon races ; and within recollection
in the 'race week' Epsom town was crowded with
company."

It should be mentioned that both races and wells
were coeval with the residence of J^mes I, at the
Palace of Nonsuch, early in the seventeenth century ;

376 RACEALONG

and Nonsuch was a favorable resort of Queen Eliza-
beth, where she had her memorable disputation with
the Earl of Essex.

When the gallants of those days heard of the wells
through the Court doctors they started the races so
far back as 1648, and on a lot of the old-prized silver
tankards there will be found engravings depicting
many of the scenes on the course.

A little higher up reference was made to the Blue
Ribbon of the Turf. This phrase was invented by
the Earl of Beaconsfield. Lord George Bentinck had
sold his stud and found, to his vexation, that one of
his horses, SurpHce, which Disraeli had purchased,
won the Derby a few months afterwards. Bewailing
his ill luck, he said to Disraeh, "Ah, you don't know
what the Derby is." "Yes, I do," replied Disraeli, '*it
is the Blue Ribbon of the Turf."

The annals of the Derby, it must be confessed, fur-
nished many a dramatic argument to those who de-
plore the betting evil. The Derby of 1867 was long
remembered for the reckless plunging of the Marquis
of Hastings, the wildest blue-blooded gambler of the
mid-Victorian era. He laid thousands of pounds
against Hermit, and stood to lose over £100,000 in
the event of that animal winning.

Hermit's victory at 66 to 1 compelled the Marquis
to sell his magnificent estate of Loudoun in Scotland,
and bring himself almost to beggary. At the next
Derby the spendthrift nobleman was hooted as a de-
faulter. Before the year closed he died broken in
mind and body.

RACEALONG 377

FIVE GREAT UNKNOWNS

The inheritance of five of the most celebrated
mares in the Trotting Register is unknown. This
has come about not on account of them not having
a racing inheritance but because no one took the
trouble to establish their blood lines while those who
knew them were living. This remarkable group is
composed of Dolly Spanker, the dam of George
Wilkes, Katy Darling, the dam of Alexander's Ab-
dallah, Shanghai Mary, the grandam of Electioneer,
Daisy, the tap root of the Axworthy family, and
Bettie Wilson, the last link in the pedigree of Peter
the Great.

As what is actually known about these five ma-
trons is scattered all over the lot I have assembled
all that is accessible at this time for the information
of those who are disposed to examine the sources to
which the past and present day champions trace.
Three of the five mares in this group were driven
on the road in New York when Broadway above
Madison Square was still known as the Blooming-
dale Road. They were Dolly Spanker, Daisy and
Katy Darling. Shanghai Mary was raced and won
on the western New York tracks at a time when a
2:30 trotter was almost a star and Bettie Wilson
was used under the saddle in Tennessee prior to the
war between the states.

Dolly Spanker

Harry Felter owned Dolly Spanker when she was

378 RACEALONG

rated as one of the fastest trotters in New York.
She never started in a race but John H. Wallace
stated in the Trotting Supplement which he pub-
lished in the first and only volume of the American
Stud Book that Dolly Spanker trotted three miles in
2:27 in 1853. At the close of 1854 when she began
to show the effects of fast work on the road Harry
Felter sent her to his father at Newburgh, N. Y.
The following spring he bred her to Hambletonian.

Dolly Spanker died when she dropped her colt. He
was raised by hand. In due time this colt appeared
on the turf as Robert Fillingham, a name that was
subsequently changed to George Wilkes.

After a long career on the turf George Wilkes was
shipped to Lexington, Ky., in 1873 and died there
in 1882. During that period he laid the foundation
of a family of light harness performers that are
still among the leaders.

For some time after George Wilkes appeared on
the turf there was but very little said about the
breeding of his dam. Later on Currier and Ives
issued a colored picture of him. The line under it
referred to his dam as a Mambrino.

Finally in December, 1877 John H. Wallace met
Harry Felter and William L. Simmons at a banquet
in New York. It was not long until the three of
them were conversing about the breeding of the dam
of George Wilkes. To his surprise Wallace was told
by Harry Felter, the breeder, and William L. Sim-
mons, the owner of the horse, that they never made
an effort to trace Dolly Spanker's pedigree.

RACEALONG 379

As is related in the *'Horse of America" which
was published by Wallace in 1897, Felter stated that
he had bought Dolly Spanker from W. A. Delevan,
and that Mr. Delevan purchased her from Joseph S.
Lewis, of Geneva, New York. Thereupon I wrote to
Mr. Lewis and the following is his response : —

''Some twenty-six years ago since I bought a
brown mare from a gentleman by the name of
James Gilbert, then living in the town of Phelps,
in this county, for a friend and very soon after
sold her to W. A. Delevan, of New York. She
was then about five years old, a fine roadster, and
could speed in about 3:30. He took her to New
York, and after driving her some time sold her
to my esteemed friend, Harry Felter. I think she
passed into the hands of his father, and met with
an accident. She was put to breeding, and had a
colt by Rysdyk's Hambletonian, that grew up to
be the famous George Wilkes. For the benefit of
many persons in New York I lost no time in look-
ing about to learn the pedigree of the mare and
of the horse that got her. On seeing Gilbert I
learned that he got the mare of an old man who
is now dead, by the name of Josiah Philips, of
Bristol, in this county. I lost no time in sending a
man, who lived with us at the time, by the name
of John S. Dey, to Bristol, to get all the facts in
the mare's pedigree that he could get hold of.
He learned through Philips that the sire of this
mare was the Wadsworth's Henry Clay, owned
for many years by General Wadsworth, of Gene-

380 RACEALONG

see. There is no mistake about this, as I have
since learned from his neighbors that she was a
Clay colt. Philips further stated that the dam of
the mare was got by a horse called Highlander, a
good horse, and owned in that section of country.
I have no doubt about this, as there was such a
horse in that section about that time. When I go
to Buffalo, where Gilbert now lives, I may be able
to get at more facts in regard to your inquiry, and
if I can get hold of anything that will give more
light on the subject before I am down in New
York, I will drop into your office to see you.

J. S. Lewis."

"The receipt of this letter, so straightforward and
clean-cut in its statements, developed a mystery that
was incomprehensible to me. Dates, names, places,
circumstances, all stand out as evidences of the truth
of the representations, and also as evidences that
Mr. Lewis had fully investigated the matter, and
given the results of his investigations to his friends
in this city ; still, those friends had never heard the
facts, or had entirely forgotten them. As there was
a strong prejudice against Clay blood in certain
quarters, it occurred to me that possibly that cross
had been left in abeyance so long that it really had
been forgotten. This did not clear up the mystery,
however, and I determined to have the whole matter
investigated from a different starting point. I sub-
mitted the matter to John P. Ray, a very capable
man, and he kindly and without reward undertook
the investigation. The Philips family lived in the

R A C E A L 0 N G 381

vicinity of Bristol, and the first of the family met
by Mr. Ray was E. V. Philips, nephew and adopted
son of Joshua Philips (not Josiah, as Mr. Lewis had
it), and he enumerated several head of Clays that
had been owned by his uncle Joshua, among them a
mare that was bred by Mr. Clark Philips, bought of
him when a yearling by E. V. Philips, sold as a four-
year-old to his uncle Joshua, and by him the next
year to "some man from the eastern part of the
country." He next met Clark Philips, who fully
confirmed E. V. Philips about the Clay filly already
referred to and said she was got when old Henry
Clay was owned by Kent and Bailey of Bristol, and
that her dam was "Old Telegraph" by Highlander,
etc. In his original report to me of his investigation
Mr. Ray uses the following language :

"When Henry Clay was being brought from the
East to his home in Western New York, he
stopped one night at the hotel then kept in Bristol
by Dr. Durgan, deceased (the breeder of Castle
Boy), and made a season at this place the follow-
ing year, when he became the property of Kent
& Bailey. He was kept in that town for several
years, etc."

"Now, as between the original and voluntary state-
ment of Captain Lewis and the investigation carried
through by Mr. Ray, there is no conflict and all is
smooth sailing, and upon the information derived
from these two sources the pedigree of George
Wilkes was decided as established by the Board of

382 RACE A LONG

Censors. But more recent discoveries made by Mr.
Ray, have raised a conflict that is irrepressible, for
dates are involved and insisted upon that make the
pedigree impossible. In his original statement Mr.
Ray says that Henry Clay made the season of 1846
at Bristol, ''when he became the property of Kent &
Bailey. He was kept in that town for some years."
Up to this point there is no contradiction. But in
the past two or three years Mr. Ray believes he has
secured additional information, and this places Cap-
tain Lewis in a very unenviable position. The whole
point of Clark Philips' evidence is that he bred his
mare ''Old Telegraph" to Henry Clay when that
horse was owned by Bailey Brothers, of Bristol, and
I supposed they were the successors of Kent & Bailey
of an earlier date. Now, as Mr. Ray told us in his
first investigation that Henry Clay passed into the
hands of Kent & Bailey in 1847, and as he tells us
later that he did not pass into their hands 'till nine
or ten years after that date and then fails to fix
the precise year, it must be conceded by all that his
information is not wholly satisfactory. The best
and final evidence is the service book of the horse.
My best judgment of the whole matter is that Mr.
Ray's later information is probably correct." This
second report was accepted by the Board of Censors
and the pedigree of Dolly Spanker was declared
unknown.

In 1912 Dr. J. W. Day, an enthusiastic supporter
of the Clay family and who had a stock farm at
Waterloo, N. Y., for over twenty-five years, appeared

RACEALONG 383

in the defense of Dolly Spanker's accepted pedigree,
or in other words, produced evidence to show that
she was foaled in 1847 and got by Henry Clay out
of Telegraph by Baker's Highlander. He published a
letter from Stewart C. Purdy, the breeder of the
champion plow horse Captain Lewis of which a
sketch appeared in "Trotalong." In 1882 this horse
made a sweep through the Grand Circuit and made
a record of 2 :20% which meant as much for a race
horse of that period at 2 :05 does at the present time.
Captain Lewis was one of the best Clay trotters. His
breeder is entitled to a hearing as he was a nephew
of the man who sold Dolly Spanker to W. A. Dele-
van, who if I remember correctly was the owner or
manager of a travelling circus and whose name was
later perpetuated in connection with the Delevan
House at Albany, N. Y.

At all events Dolly Spanker was for a time used
as motive power for the first wagon in a circus
parade until Delevan sold her to Harry Felter of
New York. This in itself speaks well for her indi-
viduality and style as the old time troopers always
selected an attractive horse for the leader's wagon
in their parades.

Geneva, N. Y., August 30, 1912.

"Dear Doctor Day :

Your letter of inquiry as to my knowledge in
regard to the facts of the breeding ,of the dam of
George Wilkes, received. I am 65 years old, as I
was born in 1847. Joseph S. Lewis, who bought the

384 RACEALONG

mare afterwards called Dolly Spanker, and proved
to be the dam of George Wilkes, was my uncle. I
was his only nephew. I know all the facts in regard
to the buying of this mare by my uncle and his sell-
ing her to Mr. Delevan. After Mr. Felter bred the
mare to Rysdyk's Hambletonian he naturally wanted
to know her pedigree. My uncle often told me that
he went to New York, and to the Felter farm to
identify the mare. Felter wanted to know the pedi-
gree and I knew from my uncle's statement to me
that Mr. Gilbert told my uncle, as he often stated,
that he bought the mare of Joshua Philips of Bris-
tol, and my uncle told me that he sent John Dey to
Bristol to ascertain the facts in regard to her breed-
ing.

"John Dey was a wool and horse buyer for my
uncle and he told me the same facts many times.
There was a strong prejudice in those days against
the Clay blood, especially after Mr. Bonner declared
that the Clay blood in a trotter was as bad as saw-
dust in his oats. I know from, my uncle's talk that
Felter and the owners of George Wilkes did not care
to have that pedigree with a Clay cross in it publicly
known. There was no one in Geneva or that terri-
tory that ever made any other claim for her sire, or
doubted that said mare was by Wadsworth's Henry
Clay.

"Nelson Thompson of Penn Yan, was a partner of
my uncle for years in the stage business from Penn
Yan to Geneva, and the said Thompson bought
Henry Clay after he had first stood in Bristol a year

R A C E A L 0 N G 385

or two. The horse was afterwards sold and went
back to Bristol. The statement in the affidavit of
Phihps that he paid five dollars for the service fee,
proves conclusively that it must have been when
Henry Clay first stood in Bristol, for I know that
when he went back to Bristol eight or nine years
later his fee was fifteen dollars. This fact my uncle
and John Dey and Mr. Thompson told me many
times.

''Now as to the report that my uncle ever stated
that he might have been mistaken or that he did
not say much about the dam of George Wilkes, I
know to be false. On my birthday, February 13,
1896, my wife and' I visited my uncle and he asked
me to walk down to the office with him after dinner.
He then said to me that there had been a great
howl about the pedigree of the dam of George
Wilkes, but that he knew what he was talking about.
He stated that he had seen this mare, Dolly Spanker,
at the Felter farm and that she was the same mare
that he bought of Gilbert, and Gilbert told him he
bought her of Joshua Philips, and my uncle said
that he sent John Dey to Philips to learn her breed-
ing, and he knew that it was true, and that he never
made any other statement. He stamped his cane
upon the floor in the office and very earnestly said
that there was a fool bom every minute, but, they
could not change the pedigree of that mare. My
uncle died June 18, 1896, and his memory was as
clear as it always had been, up to the Very last. John
Dey told me this same story all his life. I knew

386 RACEALONG

him up to the; time of his death, and he always re-
iterated all these statements. My uncle thought a
good deal of John Dey and paid his funeral expenses
when he died, four or five years before my uncle
died.

"I read your letter in the 'American Horse
Breeder' and you were perfectly right in your state-
ments. I have known you, Doctor, ever since 1866,
right after the war, and I know that you have had
every facility to know these facts and that you knew
my uncle well all these years. I am glad to help you
with these few facts which are well known to me.

Stewart L. Purdy."

This was supplemented by a statement in which
Dr. Day set forth what he gathered on this subject.

"I enlisted in the Civil War in 1861 but was
thrown out of the regiment on inspection day on
account of my youth. I enlisted again in 1862 and
passed inspection. I had something to do and think
about besides horses until 1865 when I was dis-
charged. After I got home from the war I bought a
trotter and entered her in the three-minute class, at
Ovid, Seneca Co., N. Y., in 1866. She won in 2:52,
the same day that Maid of Clay, by Henry Clay, got
a record of 2:40, and was afterwards sold by Cobb
and Lewis to Governor Stanford.

"After the races I drove to Geneva with John Dey
and Cobb. We spent that evening talking horse, and
li am positive that John Dey then told me that the
dam of George Wilkes was by Henry Clay. Very

R A C E A L 0 N G 387

soon after, Captain Lewis told me the whole story
about the mare, that Harry Felter had asked him
to secure the breeding and that he sent John Dey to
Bristol to get it.

'In 1875 I moved to Waterloo and lived there
twenty-five years, seven miles from Geneva. I knew
every horse that was of racing caliber, that Dey,
Cobb and Lewis had during all those years and knew
them up to their deaths.

''Captain Lewis was not a race horse man. He loved
horses but did not race them. John Dey was their
horseman and Cobb was the inspiration of all the
trotting horse deals.

"The whole trouble in this matter was caused by
the bad memory of Clark Philips, thirty years
afterwards. He thought Bailey owned Henry Clay
when the Highlander mare was bred to him. No
proof, nothing but memory.

"Leonard Gooding married my wife's sister in the
spring of 1868. He was born and lived all his life
on the Homestead Farm in Bristol Center, N. Y.
Gooding bred many colts and knew the history of all
the horses in Bristol, N. Y. In the summer and fall
of 1868 I visited him. He had at that time two black
stallions, one he told me was 21 years old, the other
eight or ten years younger. He told me that the
older one was bred the first year that Henry Clay
stood in Bristol. He also told me at that time, that
he knew the dam of George Wilkes as he was well
acquainted with all of the Philips' and that the dam
of George Wilkes was foaled the same year as his

388 RACEALONG

oldest stallion.

"Captain Lewis told me repeatedly that the mare
had no name when he sold her, but, was afterwards
named Dolly Spanker. I am satisfied that the breed-
ing of the dam of George Wilkes was established
before she died, if not, why did Captain Lewis go
to the Felter Farm to identify her?

''I knew John P. Ray intimately for thirty years
before he died. He looked up that pedigree at the
time Wallace was investigating it, and he told me
that the dam of George Wilkes was by Henry Clay.
After the second story was started about who owned
Henry Clay when Philips bred the Highlander mare,
Ray heard of it. He started the last investigation on
the memory of a man, forty years after he had bred
a mare, about who owned the stallion at the time.

"Captain Lewis was a bachelor. Stewart L. Purdy
was his nephew. He was with his uncle more or less
all his life, and knew all about the horse interests
of Captain Lewis. When eight-years-old he saw
Henry Clay and knew the breeding of the mare. The
letter from him does away with any of the state-
ments as to the veracity of his uncle about the
pedigree.

"The point that Stewart Purdy makes about the
price of the service fee is a strong factor in the
case. I have another brother-in-law living in Bristol.
He was bom there and always lived there on a farm
within two miles of Joshua Philips. He is not a
horseman, but he heard of these facts, and was a
friend of Leonard Gooding, as we all married sis-

RACEALONG 389

ters, and knew all about his stallions by Henry Clay.
He tells me that several old men, who bred to Henry
Clay, report that if the fee was five dollars, as
Philips claimed it was when he bred to Henry Clay,
it certainly was when he was first there, because
when he was brought back eight or nine years later,
the fee was much larger. His colts were then show-
ing so much speed, everybody wanted to breed to
him. That was the reason he was brought back.

The Board of Censors never took any action on the
information secured by Dr. Day. In other words
the breeding of Dolly Spanker is still recorded as un-
known.'*

Katy Darling

Katy Darling is a genuine unknown. No one
knows where she came from, who bred her, or who
owned her prior to the day in 1851 when Carl Young
turned her over to Lewis J. Sutton of Warwick, N.
Y., and told him if she recovered from her injury
and had a foal he could send him $50. The mare re-
covered and had a foal that under the names
of Edsall's Hambletonian and Alexander's Abdallah,
founded one of the greatest Hambletonian sub-
families.

At present, and for that matter he always will be
referred to as the sire of Goldsmith Maid 2:14 and
the grand sire of the horse that got Cresceus 2:02l^,
two world's champions, as well as Almont, Belmont
and Thorndale.

John H. Wallace made the only guess in regard

390 RACEALONG

to the breeding of Katy Darling. He said she was
probably by a son of Andrew Jackson. In 1894 a
correspondent of the ''Horse Review" located Lewis
J. Sutton at East Orange, N. J., and secured the
following sketch of Katy Darling. At that time the
old horseman was badly crippled with rheumatism
but all of his aches were forgotten as he told of the
days when Dame Fortune linked his name with a
horse that will be remembered as long as records
are kept.

''When I was a young fellow, not quite 20, I began
horse dealing. Would take two or three now and
then from Warwick down to York, (rural for New
York) put up at some road house andj stay until I
had sold them. Almost from the start I made my
headquarters at the Four-Mile Road House, on Third
Avenue, kept by an oldtime horseman, Carl Young.
Young knew everybody worth knowing in the horse
line. His house — Third Avenue, then a dirt road,
was the fashionable speedway for the city road
drivers — was frequented by some of the best horse-
men in New York and never a match on the road
anywhere about or a race on Union or Fashion
tracks but Young was there.

"He took a fancy to me," said Sutton, "gave me
many a good hint, lots of good advice, and helped
me sell many a horse. He always called me 'boy.' I
can recollect as if it were yesterday, him saying to
me some time in the spring of 1851, month o' May I
think ; 'Boy, I can put you on to a good thing. There's
a mare lying sick in a stable about eleven miles up

RACEALONG 391

the road (meaning the highway between York and
White Plains) and I want you to go up and see her.
Take her home with you, boy, breedi her to a good
young horse, and she'll make your fortune. I've
seen many a good mare but the one ^want you to
look at tops the lot.'

''So we hitched up," continued Sutton, *'Young
and myself, and drove out a way, just about half-
way to White Plains, or maybe a little more than
half, to a country road house, and sure enough, in
a stall at the rear lay this mare. She could not get
up without help, her near fore leg was swollen from
the knee clear down to the hoof, and the skin was
stretched so it looked like it would burst. But oh!
What a mare ! When we went in that stall she lifted
her head and looked at us, and I saw at a glance this
was no common mare. She had the head, the neck,
the eye, the color, finish, everything that the finest
blood only can give.

Turning to Young I said: "What do you know
about this mare?" "Well," said he, "I'll tell' you how
all this came about. I was down at Union track last
fall. There was a race on. A countryman had a
young mare there, only a four-year-old, quite a colt.
He was from Westchester County — that's all I ever
knew about him or his mare. Well, he had her
matched against a gelding, a regular old track horse,
and old cocker, I forget his name; but, anyway, the
match was three in five for $100.

"Directly I saw the mare come on the track to
warm up," continued Young, "she impressed me in a

392 RACEALONG

wonderful manner. 'What a color! What action!
What a gait!" I said to myself. Well, you know,"
said Young, ''I am never easy unless I have a bet on
a horse race, and from what I fancied I saw in the
mare, I thought she could be so managed as to win
against the gelding, who could come heat after heat
in about 2:50 or 3:00. So I went up to the owner
and told him I had a bit of money on, and if he
would do as I told him he had a great chance to pull
it off. I told him his mare was young and inexperi-
enced and not, perhaps, able to stay up as long as
the gelding. 'Your game,' I said, 'is to go right out ;
let your mare step for all she has in her, and I be-
lieve we'll win it in one heat. Come down a little
ahead if you can, and don't let him get up.'

Well, sir, he did as I told him, and, thunder and
lightning! if the mare didn't step right away and
distance the gelding the first pop in 2:42. Soon
after one of my patrons got the mare and used her
on the road. That winter there was great sleighing.
One day after a match to sleighs on the avenue for
wine, between a mare called Mendham Maid, who
could trot in 2:38, and Katy Darling, which my
mare won, the mare's owner and Mendham Maid's,
both pretty full, hitched their horses double to a
sleigh for a moonlight drive. They came up this
road. Just outside where we are now Katy Darling
slipped on a loose stone or a piece of wood and
stopped dead short. The men knew just enough to
have her turned in here where she has been ever
since. Being drunk, I suppose they forgot the mare

RACEALONG 393

for a day or two, for when a doctor did come up her
leg was as big or bigger than you see it now, and
he could not locate the injury.

"That's what Young told me,'' said Sutton, ''We
didn't bother about pedigrees then and I was not
particular about a gift horse. Later when my mare
became famous as the dam of Abdallah and her
breeding was of importance, old man Young was
dead, even if he knew any more than he told me that
day in the barn.

'That her breeding was 'way up none could doubt
who looked at her. She was rich blood bay with
black points well up and just a trifle of white on one
hind coronet. We called her 15:2, but she was really
15:11/2- She had the old-fashioned cock tail, the
ten-inch dock; and, by the way, the colt always
carried his tail well out, too.

"However, to come back to my story," continued
Mr. Sutton, "Young's offer was this. He said: 'Get
the mare over to your place, patch her up and breed
her. If she has a living foal, when it stands up you
are richer $50, but no foal no money.'

"So a day or two after I and another man drove
over to bring Katy back to Warwick. We hitched
the mare behind the wagon and she managed on
three legs, to hobble to Warwick. Right there her
gameness surprised me; she would come along for
half a mile or so^ then stop to rest, and then with-
out any urging start along again. You could see,
however, the pain she was in every step of the
way.

394 RACEALONG

''When I got her home I had her leg bHstered
until we got the swelling down enough to find out
the trouble. The coffin joint was dislocated. We got
it in place after a lot of trouble, and then after a
few weeks' good feeding and full liberty in a good-
sized paddock I got a service to Bill Rysdyk's Ham-
bletonian, then a two-year-old.

"The colt came on August 27, 1852, eight days less
than the eleven months, and I tell you, sir, that
little fellow was a picture to look at. He stood
straight up, and was a trotter, a natural trotter,
from the very minute his little foot touched the
ground. You could not scare him into a run, no how.
He was a little colt, but bright and upheaded, as
gimpy as a quarter horse, and just the same beau-
tiful color as his dam. In fact, he was all Katy
Darling in make-up, and nothing of the sire. His
dam was straight over the back, nicely turned quar-
ter, clean cut neck and head, and cordy legs. The
colt had it all. I paid the $50 and started in to
raise the colt. The mare I bred back to Hamble-
tonian, but she did not take again. Abdallah was
Hambletonian's third foal. He only had five in 1852.

"To show you what a trotter he was. He was
dropped in the far corner of the field that had raised
a crop of corn. The stalks, about a foot high, were
of course mixed in with the grass, which had grown
up about level with, the top. When I would go out
to give the mare a drink she would trot to my end
and he would try to follow on a trot, but the stalks
hurt him and he would stop and call us, as much as

RACEALONG 395

to say, *I can't trot over this and I won't run ; come
back.'

"Katy did not race while carrying Abdallah, but
the next) year not being in foal, she won a race at
Goshen Fair. It was on the road, about three-quar-
ters of a mile straight away, and of course no time
was taken. Warming her up, she would not strike
a trot, seemed to have forgotten all about it; but
when they got the word she got along in the rear,
but about half way she struck a trot all at once.
She out-speeded the party after that and won right
off the reel.

''Although her injured foot made her bob a little
she had an elegant gait, pure and straight, did not
spread much, but carried her legs well under her.

"Coming back to Abdallah, though he didn't have
that name then, or any name at all, I began feeding
him and the dam when he was about four-months-
old. By spring when he had learned to feed I weaned
him. The mare by that time was a very different
looking animal from the run-down skeleton almost
that I had brought over from Westchester, and the
little colt too, had thrived and grown wonderfully.

''He was a natural lot trotter. You could not scare
him into a run with a dog. I never saw him run, and
people would come from all round to look at Lew
Sutton's colt. When he was seven-months-old I be-
gan to lead him to halter, would run along with him,
and he would trot with just the same easy gait his
dam had. Men came to me and offered me money if
I could run him off a trot, but I never could.

396 RACi^ALONG

"Well, I must come to how I came to part with
my colt. I had refused many offers. When he was
seventeen-months-old Ezekiah Hoyt and Seely Ed-
sall came over from Goshen to see him. He was in
the lot, and I was from home. They turned a sheep
dog at him, but it would not work; they could not
get him to run. 'I must own that colt, Hoyt,' said
Edsall, 'no matter what he costs.'

''Hoyt met me on the road, as I returned and said,
Tut a price on your colt, Sutton.' Now I had refused
him several times before, bearing in mind what
Young had said. 'If you get a colt he will make your
fortune, and if you ever sell him you will have no
luck.' 'Prophetic words, sir,' said the old man sadly,
'for I have had nothing but ill luck in every venture
since.'

"Well, thinking $300 would be enough to scare
Hoyt, and thinking to make my bluff' sure, I said to
Hoyt: 'If you must have a price I will say $500.'
'The colt is mine, and the money yours,' was the
unexpected reply.

"What could I do? I had passed my word and
there ended my connection with the little colt I had
so carefully reared. Hoyt and Edsall owned him
jointly at first but pretty soon Edsall bought Hoyt's
half. He kept him five years, serving over a hundred
mares a season the last three years and using him
on the road all the time, a hard life of it, and one
that would have killed any ordinary horse. Many a
time I have seen Seely Edsall driving Abdallah on
the road at a stiff 2:40 gait."

RACEALONG 397

In 1859 Edsall sold the horse to Joel F. Love and
James Miller of Cynthana, Ky., for $3,000. At that
time he was regarded one of Hambletonian's best
sons. After making two seasons in Kentucky, Miller
matched the horse against Albion for $250 a side.
By that time his name had been changed to Abdal-
lah. The race was trotted at Lexington. Abdallah
won without being extended in 2:46.

In the spring of 1863, R. A. Alexander purchased
Abdallah for Woodburn Farm. He made two seasons
there. On February 2, 1865, a band of guerrillas
raided Woodburn and took away a number of horses
including Abdallah and Bay Chief. The raiders were
followed by Federal cavalry. Bay Chief was wounded
and died a few days after he was recovered. Abdal-
lah was turned loose on the road after being ridden
about fifty miles. He was recovered. While on his
way to Woodburn Farm he was taken with pneu-
monia and died at Lawrenceburg.

In 1855, James W. Benedict, a resident of War-
wick, purchased Katy Darling from Lewis J. Sutton.
From him she passed to Hezekiah Hoyt. He took
her to Muscatine, Iowa, where she was bred to a
son of La Tourrett's Bellfounder named Hector and
produced a chestnut colt that was gelded. Katy
Darling did not produce any more foals. She died at
Muscatine.

Daisy

The gray mare Daisy was foaled in 1852. She is
an unknown. No effort was made to 'look up her in-
heritance until her owners prior to a sugar refiner

398 RACEALONG

named Peter Moller had passed away. Daisy's speed
and endurance first attracted attention on the New
York roads. Like most of the old time trotters she
took a firm hold on the bit but notwithstanding that
fault no road was too long or clip too fast for her to
give a good acount of herself.

In time Daisy passed from Peter Moller to 0. E.
Pegram. In 1861 he sold her to A. B. Darhng, who
was at that time a junior partner in the Fifth Ave-
nue Hotel, having gone to New York from Vermont
where he grew up on a farm.

Daisy was A. B. DarHng's first horse. He kept her
until she died in 1879. He described her as having
wonderful nervous force and lung power and as
nearly tireless as a piecQ of horse flesh could be.

When Mr. Darling established a breeding farm at
Ramsey, N. J., he placed Daisy among his brood
mares. Her descendants stood the acid test of the
turf.

A short time before he died Mr. Darling when re-
ferring to Daisy said, "The descendants of Daisy
are the best that I have. No part of my stock pro-
duced speed with such uniformity and of so satisfac-
tory a type as those tracing to this old road mare.
In her day she could brush a 2 :20 gait to wagon.

*ln 1869 I bred Daisy to a young Morgan stallion
by Black Hawk Telegraph named Strideaway. His
dam was the old pacing mare Pocahontas that placed
the world's record at 2:17V2 when she defeated Hero
to wagon over the Uniony Course on Long Island in
1855. To this cover Daisy produced a gray filly

RACEALONG 399

which was named Young Daisy. This filly had a
good way of going and was bred. She produced Duke
Wellington, 2:20; Graylight, 2:16i/2> and Prince La-
valard, 2:11%. Also after John W. Conley selected
Kentucky Prince for me I bred him to Young Daisy
and secured another filly which was named Mar-
guerite. This mare was a fast trotter but was not
raced. She was foaled in 1876.

"In 1889 after John W. Conley, W. P. Ijams, and
Fred Moran paid $105,000 for Axtell, I sent Mar-
guerite to Terre Haute, Ind. and bred her to that
remarkable colt trotter."

Marguerite remained at Terre Haute until she
produced Marguerite A., 2:12i/2J Axtellion, 2:15l^,
and Axworthy, 2:151/4.

After Mr. Darling's death his trotters were sold
at a New York sale. When Axworthy was led into
the ring no one would make a bid on him, possibly
on account of him having been injured after he made
his record as a two-year-old. When John H. Shults
noticed it he said, "I will not stand around and see
any of Mr. Darling's horses led out of the ring with-
out a bid." He nodded for $500 and Axworthy was
knocked down to him.

This proved his most fortunate purchase although
he made hundreds before that date and after.
At Parkville and Shultshurst Farms, Axworthy laid
the foundation of a family which still dominates the
turf. Of his greatest sons, Mr. Shults bred Guy
Axworthy and General Watts. Dillon Axworthy,
Morgan Axworthy and his other leaders were foaled

400 RACEALONG

in Kentucky, where Axworthy was sent by William
Simpson a few years after he purchased him.

Bettie Wilson

In 1921, when I was in the south tracing the pedi-
gree of Peter the Great, I met Charles P. Warfield.
He hved on a farm which his father purchased on
the Russellville Pike, about five miles from Clarks-
ville, Tennessee.

A few years after the close of the Mexican War
the father of Charles P. Warfield was a merchant
in Baltimore. Close application to business shattered
his health. On the advice of a physician he disposed
of his business in the Maryland city and started
south on the back of a saddle horse to find a place
where he could live and labor out-of-doors.

Following the saddle paths, over which the people
of that day travelled, this member of the Warfield
family after visiting E. Warfield, a cousin at Lexing-
ton,! Ky., and who later became known to the turf
world as the breeder of the great race horse Lexing-
ton, moved on to the banks of the Cumberland
River and finally selected thq farm on which I met
his son.

All of the Warfields were fond of horses and while
this branch of the family did not race or breed any
of that kind they took an active interest in the prod-
uct of their neighbors and through it were familiar
with the best horses in that section of Tennessee.

Charles N. Merriweather was a neighbor of the
Warfields. He had a large plantation further along

RACEALONG 401

the Russellville Pike and nearer the Kentucky Hne.
Merriweather also had a large stud of race horses,
some of them being imported from England. Among
the latter he had a stallion named Ambassador, the
sire of several good race horses. One of these was
a gray horse named Cumberland, whose dam was
the gray mare Fraxinella, Jr., by imported Autocrat.
He was foaled in 1854 and was raced before he was
retired to the stud.

Cumberland w^as in service in the vicinity of
Clarksville from 1857 to 1860. In one of these years
Thomas Wilson bred a mare to him and got a gray
filly which was named Bettie Wilson. When the war
clouds settled over Tennessee and adjoining states
in 1861, Charles N. Merriweather sold or gave a
number of his thoroughbred horses to officers in the
army, Cumberland going to General Albert Sidney
Johnson.

Charles P. Warfield, who told me about the Merri-
weather horses also added that when General John-
son was shot on the second day of the Battle of
Shiloh he was mounted on Cumberland. The horse
was also killed.

Those who are familiar with the details of that
important engagement will recall that on the first
day of the struggle Johnson^s force almost drove the
Northern Army under General Grant from the field.
Early the following morning Grant was fortunate
in getting reinforcements and with the fresh troops
turned what looked like a defeat into a victory.

Before the fighting started on the second day

402 RACEALONG

Johnson rode back and forth in front of his troops
assuring the soldiers that they would win. His staff
remonstrated with him for unnecessarily exposing
his person to the enemy but he remained in the thick
of the fight and received the wound which resulted
in his death.

Thomas Wilson, the breeder of Bettie Wilson, died
very suddenly and as his widow could not use a race
horse she sold the mare to Nicholas Barker. He
lived on the Russellville Pike, his house being almost
opposite the blacksmith shop of Joe Thomas.

This blacksmith was busy at his forge one day in
the early months of 1862 when a bunch of cavalry
men rode up and ordered him to rough shoe their
horses so that they could travel over icy roads. One
of the soldiers had a mare that was heavy in foal.
He was leading her. Before leaving, this man whose
name was Wells, traded her to the blacksmith for
a big gelding that was in the field back of his shop.
This mare was Lady Bess, the first foal got by Lex-
ington. She was bred by T. J. Wells of Alexandria,
La.

A few weeks after the cavalry men rode away
Lady Bess dropped a black colt which Thomas raised
and finally sold as a three-year-old to Samuel John-
son of Clarksville. Lady Bess was retained by him
for a saddle mare. When he passed on his son kept
her for that purpose until she was retired by age.

The colt which Samuel Johnson purchased was
named Creole and broken to saddle. The following
spring he stopped at Nicholas Barker's place and

RACEALONG 403

while there bred Creole to Bettie Wilson, whose
pedigree can never be established as all of the people
who knew her history died before anyone made any
inquiries in regard to it.

In 1867 Bettie Taylor produced her only foal. It
was a black filly and named Dixie. She was also the
only foal that Creole sired as that spring he was lost
in a stable that was destroyed by fire.

Everybody knows the balance of the pedigree.
Nicholas Barker made his daughter, who married
Dr. Greenfield, a present of Dixie. She bred her to
Madison's Octoroon, Jr. The foal from that mating
was known as Lady Duncan. Later on after S. A.
Browne purchased her and took her to Michigan her
name was changed to Shadow. Shadow was bred to
Grand Sentinel and produced Santos, the dam of
Peter the Great.

Shanghai Mary

There is but one link in the chain of evidence that
keeps Shanghai Mary from being dropped out of the
list of unknowns. It does not look now as though it
would ever be welded unless someone stumbles on a
letter from or a diary kept by a wandering boy who
traded her to two sheep buyers near Canton, Ohio,
in 1850.

Shanghai Mary made her first step into the pages
of horse history in 1869 when John H. Wallace called
the attention of Charles Backman to ,a doubt in the
pedigree of Green Mountain Maid. When this mare
was purchased for $450, Mr. Backman was handed

404 RACEALONG

a slip of paper on which it was set forth that she
was by Harry Clay and out of Shanghai Mary by
Lexington, the celebrated running horse.

Mr. Wallace stated that if Shanghai Mary was by
Lexington it would be a very easy matter to estab-
lish that fact and in order to look it up Charles
Backman sent his secretary, Mr. Shipman, to
western New York and Ohio.

In due time Mr. Shipman returned with a report
which showed that Shanghai Mary was foaled in
1847 which made her older than Lexington. Mr.
Shipman also learned that Wilcox Brothers of Liv-
onia Center, N. Y., while buying sheep from the
fai-mers in eastern Ohio, met a young man on the
road near Canton, Ohio, one morning in the fall of
1850. He was riding a three-year-old chestnut filly
with four white feet and a strip in her face. She
was foot sore and having lost her tail presented a
very indifferent appearance. The boy said he had
ridden her about five hundred miles and wanted to
exchange her for a blind mare that Wilcox Brothers
had taken in trade for some sheep. The trade was
made. The boy rode away and was never heard of
again.

Wilcox Brothers brought the white faced mare to
New York state. After being broken to harness she
showed speed and was started in a number of races
in western New York, none of which were ever re-
ported as the Angelica mare.

The Angelica mare finally became known as
Shanghai Mary. Under that name she passed to

RACEALONG 405

Samuel Conklin of Middletown, N. Y. He bred her
to Harry Clay in 1861 and got the filly afterwards
known as Green Mountain Maid. She was small, as
wild as a hawk, and was never broken to harness.
Even age did not tame her.

In 1887 when Green Mountain Maid had her last
foal at foot, Mr. Backman opened her stall door one
morning to let me get a glimpse of the dam of Elec-
tioneer. Even at that time of life she resented a
stranger coming into the stall. Aside from that this
little mare was a genuine asset as Charles Backman
received over $90,000 for her foals.

Green Mountain Maid died on June 6, 1888. She
was buried at Stony Ford Farm. Her grave was
marked with a monument with the following in-
scription : —

In remembrance of
GREEN MOUNTAIN MAID
Great mother of trotters
1862-1888
at Stoney Ford
Birthplace of her children
Dam of Electioneer
Prospero, 2 :20 Elaine, 2 :20

Dame Trot, 2:22 Elina, 2:28

Elista, 2:203^ Mansfield, 2:26

Storm, 2 :263^ Antonio, 2 :28-%

Miranda Paul

Lancelot foaled 1887,
Remembered by their worth and honored by her
dust.

406 RACEALONG

When Mr. Shipman returned to Stony Ford from
western New York he brought along a picture of
Shanghai Mary. It was given to him by one of her
former owners. This colored print was placed in a
frame and hung in the smoking room. Aside from
the odd markings it did not attract very much atten-
tion until it was examined one day by H. M. Hanna
and William B. Fasig. Both of them were familiar
with the horses of southern Ohio and both of them
without a moment's hesitation declared that the
mare belonged to the Cadmus family.

John H. Wallace had also called attention to the
resemblance between Shanghai Mary and Pocahon-
tas and said that if the breeding of Shanghai Mary
was ever established it would be found that they
came from the same tribe of horses and probably
from the same horse, Iron's Cadmus. This sugges-
tion never took root until the summer of 1894 when
Herschel I. Fisher, the editor of the "Western News'*
of Lebanon, Ohio, saw a reference to it. In an article
which he later on sent to the Horse Review, Mr.
Fisher said: —

*'I called the attention of the veteran horsemen
of Warren County, to the fact that Electioneer was
descended from a sorrel mare, with white feet and
face, that was three-years-old in 1850 and that she
might have been a Cadmus. They were asked to
communicate with me in case they had any knowl-
edge of such a filly having b^en disposed of at or
near Canton, 0., in 1850 by a young man or a boy.

"Not a person was found who had any knowledge

RACEALONG 407

of the horse trade on the highway near Canton, but
it was not long before several old gentlemen called
attention to the disappearance of Thaddeus Coffeen
from Red Lion with his father's sorrel filly, marked
with white face and legs, in the summer or fall of
1850. The incident would probably not have been
recalled had not his father. Goldsmith Coffeen, been
the most prominent horseman in the county at that
time and the filly a well-known member of his stable.

'Trom three men, who were living in the imme-
diate vicinity of the Coffeen farm at that time, and
were intimately acquainted with the younger mem-
bers of the family, I learned that when Thaddeus
arrived at an age when he began to want to do for
himself, he asked his father to give him a part of
the money he had won for him on the turf as a
rider. A controversy arose between them that led
to an estrangement which lasted as long as they
both lived, or at least prevented Thaddeus from
ever becoming a member of the family circle again.

Thaddeus Coffeen disappeared and it was common
report that he had taken the filly with him in lieu
of pay for his services as a jockey. It does not now
appear whether he had any proprietorship in her,
but no one blamed him for taking her, unless it
was the old gentleman himself. Three other persons,
all members of the Coffeen household then, or about
that time, remembered the incident, wholly or in
part, and the Rev. Samuel Gallagher, who was a
nephew of Goldsmith Coffeen, and was raised by
Goldsmith Coffeen, Sr., on an adjoining farm, re-

408 RACEALONG

membered the filly and her breeding.

"It may be well to say that I was led to consult
Mr. Gallagher by the repeated assurances of the
elderly men of the neighborhood that he knew more
abouti the Coffeen horses than any other man now
living, as he was not only a nephew, but the trusted
lieutenant of Mr. Coffeen, and handled his horses
for him in the early fifties. He was represented as
being an enthusiast and a successful rider and
trainer.

''Mr. Gallagher, replying to an inquiry as to
whether he recalled the filly, said he remembered
her well; that she was by Irons' Cadmus, sire of
Pocahontas, and out of a mare by Jerry. I was un-
able to fully identify Jerry. But, judging from the
general character of Coffeen's stud, I expect to find
that he was a thoroughbred, or at least a highly-
bred running horse.

The disappearance of a young man in south-
western Ohio, riding a sorrel mare with four white
legs and a blaze in her face, leaving home after an
estrangement serious enough to prevent his ever re-
turning, the appearance of a young man of about
the same age in eastern Ohio, two hundred and fifty
or three hundred miles away, the same fall riding
a mare of the same age and with the same peculiar
coloring, and the fact that he did not seem disposed
to talk about himself or the animal, make a chain of
circumstantial evidence that, in the absence of a
single fact pointing in any other direction, would
convince most persons that the two fillies were one

RACEALONG 409

and the same. But when it is shown that the
southern Ohio filly had lost her tail, as is stated by
the Rev. Mr. Gallagher, and that the filly the boy
rode in eastern Ohio looked like her tail had been
eaten off by calves, the presumption becomes very
strong in favor of the theory that the foot-sore
animal the Wilcox brothers traded for and took to
New York State was the Cadmus filly Thaddeus Cof-
feen rode away the same summer.

"Irons' Cadums was by Beach's Cadmus, a son of
American Eclipse. His dam was a fast pacing mare,
that was purchased by Mr. Coffeen from a stranger
from Kentucky. He was a rich sorrel, with white
legs all around and a faint star in his face. His dam
was sorrel with four white legs and a white strip
down her face. She generally went at the pace, mov-
ing in a quick, nervous 'way, and was supposed to
have a good deal of speed. He bred her to Beach's
Cadmus and got Irons' Cadmus, which was foaled
the joint property of Mr. Coffeen and John Irons, of
Lebanon. They were well pleased with the colt, kept
him ten years, and only parted with him to close a
partnership. He went all gaits and gave evidence
of having plenty of natural speed but he was never
given a chance to develop it. He is not now remem-
bered as a fast horse, his chief claim for the patron-
age of breeders being his well-nigh faultless
physique, very lofty carriage, frictionless action and
uniformly big, rangy, quick selling foals. He was
regarded as a phenomenal sire of toppy, long-strid-
ing, level-headed carriage horses, rather than a

410 RACEALONG

speed-getter for a long time, and was neglected by
the trotting horsemen for the then popular Clays,
until the phenomenal performances of some of his
get forced him to the front.

''One day in the same year (1846) that he got the
sorrel filly which we are trying to show to have been
Shanghai Mary, after having served seven mares
since sun up, Iron's Cadmus covered the eighth for
old man Dines, who had come over from Butler
county, hoping to get a colt that would be a runner.
From that cover came, Pocahontas, the fleetest-
footed pacer, all things considered, that has ever
appeared in this, and, so far as is known, any
country. Her well authenticated 2:08 to wagon over
the Queen City course, at Cincinnati, away back in
1854, without boots, weights, ball-bearings, pneuma-
tic tires, or even scientific conditioning or driving,
was a performance that no horse, mare or gelding
has eclipsed to this day. She had to retire from
the track because there was no longer anything to
go against."

The above is all that is known of Shanghai Mary
and the white faced filly that Thaddeus Coffeen rode
away from his home at Red Lion in 1850. Were
there two three-year-olds of that description in Ohio
that summer or was there only the one which ap-
pears in the pedigree of Electioneer ?

Webster Family a/ of ^/eterirign/ Medicine
••'U^'"' .cui^me at

Tuf y

200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, IVIA 01536